The Endless Night
by RainDragon28
Summary: Troll Market is destroyed, the Heartstone is gone. The trolls of Arcadia Oaks must leave for a new home in New Jersey. Unfortunately, the final battle left the Trollhunter injured with Creeper Sun poison running through his veins and their only chance to save Jim is to travel so far back in time, the world becomes another dimension, one where dragons still soared the skies.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Sorry about the re-upload but I just didn't like some things about this first chapter. There are a few changes so I'd recommend to those who've already read it to re-read it 'cause there are some crucial modifications.**

 **That's pretty all there is to it. I know I haven't been updating actual new chapters since its published date, but I'm planning the whole story on paper so all I'll have to do next is type is down. And I also have 'Venom' to finish but I don't think it should take too much of my time. The next updates _shouldn't_ be too long so keep an eye out. **

**Enjoy! (once again)**

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Crickets echoed in the forest as the bright full moon slowly faded away against the paling sky, a new day announcing itself once again.

It had been tough times these last few weeks for the trolls journeying to New Jersey in hopes to find a new home. The days were long and the nights were short and given they could only travel under the cover of darkness, they couldn't move as fast as they'd wished. Every heart longed for a new Heartstone to give them a home, but alas, they were still very far from their destination. Everyone had trusted Merlin to guide them, but unlike this wizard, the trolls weren't powered to live thousands of years and they feared they'd ever make it to this new Troll Market.

And as for Jim, the Trollhunter had taken quite a few blasts off his combat against Gunmar, Angor Rot, _and_ Morgana. He'd been beaten up pretty bad and he needed the Heartstone more than ever. But all those hits and scratches from being thrown whole street-lengths, crushed under a titan troll foot and way more only left Jim a little soared. What was truly eating him was the poison from Angor Rot's blade covered of Creeper Sun's poison that had scratched him enough to draw blood on his cheek. This terrible poison was able to turn any living organism that it touched into stone and as Angor Rot had so well done, it could be imbued into a weapon to dramatically increase is lethality. Unfortunately for him, the venom had entered his system and it would only be a matter of time before he turned into stone like any troll if they'd suffered the same fate. And every single sunrise, the blue stony skin around the wound grew greyer, announcing its process that wouldn't slow down just because they were heroes. No, death didn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints.

Claire wished they were close to their destination, but she knew deep down that Jim might not make it there in time. They would need a miracle if he were to survive turning into stone.

Leaning against a tree while the sun slowly rose, announcing their break-time, Claire watched as her boyfriend checked on his troll friends, making sure they were all okay after a long night's travel like the great leader and protector he was born to be.

''How's it going?'' she asked when he walked up to her, taking her hand in his affectionately.

''Well, you know,'' he said, sighing loudly and overlooking the dense forest ahead of them while the sunrays penetrated through the canopy of the leaves above their heads, giving them shelter against the sun's deadly light. ''Not as good as I wished to be, to be quite fair.''

Claire pictured her life without Jim and she found only emptiness. If Jim didn't survive…

To chase the negativity away, she leaned against her Trollhunter's arm, entwining her fingers with his four ones. She just couldn't bear to lose him, not when they had come so far.

''Claire, will you promise me,'' said Jim, his voice softer than ever as he crouched down to be at his beloved's eye level. ''When I'm gone—''

''No, don't you dare say it, Jim,'' she cut him off, shaking her head sideways in denial of his destiny. After saving troll-kind and defeating two of the most powerful and dangerous creatures living on this planet, he may feel like the greatest part of his job was done, but he was wrong. He had a whole market of trolls looking up to him, counting on him to guide them and protect them. He'd just come too far to leave everyone so early.

''Claire, listen to me,'' continued Jim, hoping he might talk some sense into her.

''There has to be something we can do,'' said Claire, refusing to meet Jim's pleading eyes. She scanned her surroundings, but nothing around her showed the way to the solution. It was still the same exhausted trolls just lying down until sunset. Sniffing with a few tears streaming down her face, she dug into her boyfriend's deep blue eyes. ''I'm not ready to let go. Not yet… There's nothing I wouldn't do to save you.''

''Well there is an option, but it is, let's say, _risky,''_ stated Merlin, coming to the couple's side unannounced with his arms reached behind his back and every feature relaxed as if it were no big deal. ''I might have been eavesdropping…''

''Why didn't you say anything?'' asked Jim, frowning in confusion for the wizard to have waited so long before revealing his solution to their clearly major problem.

''Well, I was just waiting for you to ask,'' replied the old man, walking right between the two who had parted just in time to allow the wizard to pass. Jim and Claire exchanged a puzzled expression but still going after Merlin, too curious to let it go.

''If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, your plan is the worst idea to ever come to your mind, old man,'' said Blinky, reaching the man's side with a threatening finger pointing up to his face which Merlin lowered carelessly while continuing with his thoughts.

''Well at least I have an idea,'' said Merlin, looking down at Blinky challengingly. ''Unless you have a better one, please, go ahead and tell us. I'm intrigued.''

''Can someone please fill us in? If there's a slight possibility we can save my half-boyfriend, I'd like to hear it,'' interrupted Claire, placing herself between the two. When the troll and wizard had their attention on her, she turned to Merlin, curious of this idea of his. ''We've just defeated two of the evilest of this world. What worst can beat this much terror?''

Blinky and Merlin exchanged a look and the troll finally groaned in defeat, indicating to the wizard that he could go on.

''In order to save our beloved Trollhunter from slowly turning into stone and eventually dying as you are well aware,'' said Merlin, pulling out a piece of paper from his back and presenting it to both Claire and Jim. ''we need the ingredients from this list; the cure to Creeper Sun.''

''But we have all of those ingredients, what are we waiting for?'' asked Claire after checking every note written down.

''Alas, it wasn't written down, but the Heartstone is the last and most important ingredient for this cure and as you may know, it has been destroyed in Troll Market,'' informed Merlin, holding his hands behind his back. ''The closest one to us at this present moment is found at our destination. And as you already know, James will not survive the trip unless he is cured soon.''

Jim dropped his gaze to the ground sadly and Claire placed a gentle hand on his wounded cheek in support.

''So,'' went Claire, trailing her eyes back to the wizard hopelessly. ''what are we gonna do?''

Merlin looked down at her wisely, sighing before glancing to Blinky who stood arms crossed a short distance away, disapproving entirely of this plan. ''I believe we can get a fragment of Heartstone when it was found all around the world,'' he explained, but Claire seemed confused to those words.

''Wait, what are you saying?'' asked Jim, frowning at the old man.

''I'm saying our only option to save James Lake Jr. is to go back in the past when the Heartstone was intact,'' said Merlin, explaining furthermore to the youngsters. ''Our current situation leaves us with no other possibilities to save him. I believe this is our best shot.''

''So you wanna travel back in time before the Eternal Night episode? Wouldn't that change the course of history?'' wondered Claire, trying to find the dangerous catches of this plan.

''I cannot time-travel,'' corrected Merlin, standing straight as he explained. ''But what I can do is make a portal to go so far back in time, the world becomes another dimension. By doing so, our story doesn't change and you have a chance to save James before it is too late.''

Claire turned to Jim who stood behind her and looked up into his eyes. There were no words needed to know what he'd decided. And even if he didn't agree, she'd cross that portal. She refused to stand still and just wait till Jim's hour came and be powerless to the situation. They were doing this, risky or not.

''Okay,'' said Claire, looking up to the most powerful wizard known on Earth. ''Let's do it.''

''Master Jim, Dear Claire, please don't,'' pleaded Blinky, resting a four-fingered hand on the girl's shoulder and another four on the Trollhunter's Daylight armor. ''I couldn't bear losing two Trollhunters.''

''We'll be fine,'' she reassured him, walking up closer to the older troll. ''Besides, if we do nothing, Jim won't have a chance. By doing this, he does.''

''Then so be it,'' said the wizard, nodding firmly. ''I'll wait for you when you're ready.'' And with that, we turned around and headed where there weren't any troll, formulating his spells to create this magical portal.

Jim and Claire stood close to each other, wondering if this was indeed the right initiative to take to change the course of the future for where it aimed right now was not an option. They just hoped taking this risk won't worsen it either.

''Are you sure you wanna do this?'' asked Jim, searching in her big brown eyes for her true answer. ''I can go on my own if you're not up for it, you know.''

''No way,'' denied Claire, cocking her eyebrow confidently. ''Where you go, I go. We're in this together, Jim.''

Jim smiled warmly at his beloved and took her hand, placing it on his graying skin. He closed his eyes at the softness of her skin against his discoloring one, hoping it would give back the life that was fading from him.

''You're gonna be okay, Jim,'' said Claire, reaching a hand behind his head, feeling his hair between her delicate fingers. Even though he was part-troll, his dark brown almost black hair was as soft as it had been before his transformation. Leaning on, she pressed her forehead against his; shutting her eyes and hoping everything would turn out alright.

For Jim's sake.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! Miss me? Finally got this chapter written down, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed tapping it down ;)**

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Merlin stood with his arms reached behind his back as he watched the young couple walk up to him hand in hand. Tension was in the air as Jim's eyes met the powerful sorcerer's, but Jim refused to back down now. He had a whole species which he was part of to protect. He was the Trollhunter. He couldn't give up on them now, and he wouldn't be giving up on himself either. Not when there was hope.

''Are you ready?'' asked Blinky, leaning a hand on Jim's metallic shoulder pad. Jim smiled kindly and placed his own four-fingered hand on the troll's shoulder for reassurance. Blinky had made him feel worthy when he'd said he saw a son in him. And after Jim's dad had left him on his fifteenth birthday, he had felt like nothing to his father's eyes. But Blinky had brought back that confidence and he dug his blue eyes in the older troll's six orange ones.

''Ready as I'll ever be,'' replied Jim and he approached Merlin who'd been waiting for them.

''I'll be giving you as much time as needed for you two to find a fragment of Heartstone,'' informed Merlin, looking at Jim and Claire each in their turn. ''When you've found it, all you'll need to do is summon me by reciting the words marked on your amulet.''

''But what if I must wear the armor?'' asked Jim, searching for traps.

''As long as you don't lose your will, the amulet will not switch off,'' reassured Merlin, his old voice sounding wise as he explained. ''And remember. Those times I send you to are different from today. I should know. So watch yourself.''

''We will,'' replied Claire, squeezing Jim's hand.

Merlin nodded grimly and turned around, positioning himself. His feet grabbed on firmly to the forest floor and his eyes shut tight. Pronouncing a few incomprehensible words from the spell, the wizard traced circles with his bony fingers. Sparkles suddenly appeared from thin air and Jim and Claire gasped in amaze, the bright light reflecting off in their eyes filled with wonder. Eventually, a complete circle appeared before them, its center blinding like the sun against a cloudless summer blue sky.

Breathing in, Jim shut his eyes and took the first step forward with Claire standing right by his side. It seemed like a journey he should be doing all alone, but he knew he would need Claire during the hardest episode. Even though he was now part troll with stone for flesh and a pair of horns as hard as the toughest rock, he was still somewhat human inside and he wouldn't be capable of doing this all on his own.

Feeling the glow of the light kiss their skin, the two walked through the light and the portal shut closed, leaving behind it only a couple of sparkles slowly extinguishing on the ground.

Merlin sighed heavily, his expression once confident now regretful as he wondered whether this had been the right thing to do. After all, this land he had sent them to wasn't like this one. It was centuries ago, a place of uncertainty and violence where the only rule that existed was the one where only the strongest of them all survived. A time where dragons still soared the skies.

…

A blur of black flashed by as it soared above the ocean, leaving behind a trail of bubbles on the water's wavy surface. A joyous cry echoed between the two massive statues that announced traveling ship their arrival in Berk's waters, its echo like a dragon roar living on a mountain.

Hiccup leaned down flat on Toothless' saddle as they picked up speed. Soon enough, he pulled on the handles and altered his prosthetic's position, widening the crafted tailfin at the back and allowing the duo to climb higher in the sky. Toothless roared sharply and let himself be carried by the swift wind of the sea until they were high amongst the countless clouds where no one went.

Hiccup took a deep breath of fresh air, a smile painted on his lips that could only be seen by his best friend.

''Ah, nothing like an early morning ride to start the day, am I right, bud?'' said Hiccup, patting Toothless' head affectionately. Toothless roared joyfully in agreement and fired a plasma blast that was no more than smoke when they flew through. ''Toothless..!'' The Night Fury laughed deeply and let his tongue loll out.

Yep, it had been a few months since the war with the Dragon Hunters. The gang had returned to Berk and had carried on where they'd left off before they built their outpost on Dragon's Edge. But that didn't mean everyone had gone back to their old selves. No, all their adventures outside the Archipelago had left the Dragon Riders forever marked with life lessons and more. Being the leader of the Dragon Riders for the past couple of years had changed Hiccup. He had faced many different enemies throughout his journeys such as Dagur, Ryker, Viggo, and Krogan. Oh, and Johann too. That man he would never forget or forgive. It had hurt Hiccup badly learning one of his closest allies had been an enemy for over… too many years. The betrayal had forged a stronger character in Hiccup. Now Stoick no longer saw a boy in him, but a man and he believed it was time for his son to soon become chief so _he_ could enjoy his retirement as an elder. Of course, Hiccup wasn't ready to become chief of Berk. There was still so much more out there that he never had the chance to explore. He couldn't imagine his life forever stuck on an island without having time to fly Toothless. But it was his destiny whether he liked it or not and he couldn't run away from it forever.

''What do you say, Toothless,'' said Hiccup, leaning to the side to catch his buddy's eye. ''One last lap and go back?''

Toothless growled low and dived down without any warning, taking his rider for a little ride.

...

The sun was high when the duo got back. The village beneath the Night Fury's wings was crowded with shouts from merchants and screams of joy from little kids running around and getting in the way of pretty much every single peasant.

Hiccup giggled lightly and looked up at a high spot on the island where he would sometimes watch the sunset. Climbing higher, the Night Fury reached the mossy spot on top of the cliff and let his heavy paws sink in the soft surface. Hiccup dismounted delicately and looked over his homeland, a sad smile lowly wearing on his face while his eyes narrowed.

Sighing, he let himself fall backward and he landed on the green moss, his dragon already making himself comfortable next to him.

The deep blue above his head should make him feel joyful and hopeful, but it was like his life no longer had a purpose. Or at least, _he_ no longer had a purpose. He looked back at his time spent on Dragon's Edge and wondered if he'd ever feel adventurous again the way he did before. Of course, he was glad to have saved all of those dragons out there by stopping the Dragon Hunters and their wrong-doing but as dangerous as his mission had been, he'd loved it. Fighting bad guys and saving dragon kind was what he loved doing most in the world. He only wished he could get another chance to fly into battle and blast those ships into splitters once again. Hear the shouts of triumph of his team as well as feeling the frustration of losing a battle and planning his next move.

The sudden squawk of a Deadly Nadder pulled him out of his thoughts and Hiccup twisted around to see Astrid land Stormfly behind him.

''Hey, Astrid,'' he welcomed, pulling himself into a sitting position as Astrid approached him.

''Hey,'' she replied, sitting down next to him and letting her legs dangle down from the edge of the rocky cliffside. ''How's it going?''

''Fine, I guess,'' replied Hiccup, avoiding her gaze rather quickly.

Astrid looked sideways at him, narrowing her eyes while smiling. Hiccup was terrible at hiding things from her and she loved it. Elbowing him gently, she returned his attention on her and asked, ''Common. What's wrong? If everything was okay you would've invited me on that wild morning flight.''

Hiccup eyed her sideways in amaze and finally chuckled, shaking his head in defeat.

''It's just… I miss our time on the Edge, Astrid. I miss the time when there was new,'' he tried explaining, making gestures with his hand. ''You know what I mean?''

''I feel you,'' she replied, resting her gaze on the foggy horizon up ahead where she used to fly towards as fast as she could during patrol, knowing she would never reach it. ''And I can't blame you. Dragons are pretty much the only thing you think about.''

''Dragons aren't the only thing I think about, Astrid,'' he said, rolling his eyes at her teasing.

''Oh, really now?'' teased Astrid, leaning against him lovingly.

''I'm serious!'' he exclaimed; only making Astrid giggle more. ''Don't you miss our adventures?''

''Alright, you win,'' she said, smiling and looking away, swinging her feet at the people below. ''Tell you what. How about we head over to Dragon's Edge and have a little time our own? What do you say?''

''I don't know..." answered Hiccup, his smile fading as his gaze trailed down at the active village beneath his feet. ''The village's been pretty busy ever since my dad's been back on his feet. It'd be best if I stayed here to keep an eye on him before he becomes unbearable. Not to mention he'll probably want to make me Chief soon and—''

A delicate finger pressed on his lips gently, silencing him before he said more.

''You worry too much, Hiccup!'' said Astrid, digging her sky-blue eyes into his bright emerald ones. ''Don't start carrying the world upon your shoulders. Your dad's doing fine and I'm pretty sure Berk's happier than ever to have a healthy chief to have this piece of rock running.''

Hiccup looked at the chief shouting orders and thought of Astrid's words, trying to figure out what he should really do because that idea of heading to the Edge with Astrid alone was quite tempting.

''Take a break,'' she said, taking his hand in hers. ''Your dad can look after himself just fine. You're the one who's gonna end up on a deathbed if you carry on putting so much pressure on yourself.''

Scratching the back of his head, Hiccup turned to face Astrid and finally let his shoulders drop.

''Alright, Astrid, you win me over,'' said Hiccup, smiling sheepishly as he rolled his eyes.

''Well, those are usually the outcomes,'' she replied quietly, leaning in for a kiss right on the lips. She savored their private moment, reaching a hand to cup his face while he pressed his against her waist.

''Common, we're leaving now,'' she said while breaking apart and getting on her feet.

''Wait, n-now?'' stammered Hiccup, clearly not expecting this.

''Is there a problem?'' asked Astrid, turning halfway around with seductive eyes meeting his.

Hiccup cleared his throat immediately at the sight and stammered once more, ''Uh, no, of course not.''

''Good, '' said Astrid, mounting on her dragon to get her stuff and leave. ''I'll meet you back here when you're ready.''

And with that, she took off on her blue Nadder, the dragon's mighty claws barely grazing Hiccup's hair as they dived down in the swarm of Berkians and disappeared out of view.

Hiccup gazed at the line separating the ocean and the sky and a rush of memories appeared before his eyes, calling him to the boundaries of the Archipelago where the unpredictable lived.

Toothless bumped his head against his rider, urging him to get going and Hiccup looked down at his best friend and enveloped his big head in a tight hug while scratching the scaly top intensely to which the dragon cooed loudly.

Soon they would be back at the Edge, a place that would forever spell adventure.


	3. Chapter 3

Dragon roars echoed in the distance as a Night Fury swiftly flew around sea stacks, a beautiful Deadly Nadder hot on its trail. Hiccup directed Toothless down to the ocean's surface and reached a hand out to graze the ice-cold water, watching his smiling reflection before seeing a patch of blue as well. Hiccup took hold again of the handles and looked up to Astrid flying close by, enjoying the wind in her bangs while closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

''Ah,'' she exhaled, her metallic shoulder pads dropping as she looked up ahead at Dragon's Edge approaching fast. ''Well, we're almost there. Wanna race to the Edge?''

''You bet!'' replied Hiccup, already switching the prosthetic tailfin's position and flattening himself on the saddle. Toothless roared sharply and blasted his wings, allowing them to dash forward and slowing down Astrid.

''Hey! Not fair,'' called Astrid, cupping her mouth with a hand before narrowing her eyes challengingly. ''Get 'em, Stormfly!''

The Nadder squawked in excitement and took off after the Night Fury, catching up to them fast until she was right above them.

''How's it going down there?'' she asked, leaning to the side to see Hiccup look up at her in surprise. ''Did you miss me?''

''How—'' he began, but Astrid flew right past him. He could hear her laugh in triumph as if the sound couldn't travel as fast as she could. ''Have you been feeding Stormfly chicken again?'' But Hiccup knew she couldn't hear him now.

''C'mon, Toothless,'' he said to his dragon, patting his side gently. ''Show them whatcha got, bud.''

Toothless climbed higher in the sky and Hiccup altered his metal leg. They reached up until they were almost amongst the clouds and then hovered in midair for only a couple seconds before immense jet-black wings beat down and the duo dashed toward the island Astrid and Stormfly were fast approaching. A high pitch sound rang all around and Astrid turned around to see the black form of Toothless reaching the sound wall before hearing a deafening _BOOM!_ and waves like wind appeared in the afternoon sky. And soon enough, Hiccup and Toothless made it to the outpost, nearly crash-landing on the platform outside the stables.

The blue Nadder hovered above the wood planks before dropping down, its massive feet causing some dust to rise around her.

''You just had to show off, didn't you?'' said Astrid, crossing her arms over her chest at him.

''You're the one who called the race,'' said Hiccup, gesturing at her loosely. ''And I could've said the same thing if you had won.''

''Alright, alright,'' said Astrid in defeat, quite proud of her chicken hack to make her dragon fly faster even though she lost the race. She looked around the base, everything as still as the day they left with beautiful weather to accompany their day. Leaning backwards on her dragon with her hands to support her, Astrid looked down at her betrothed with a sweet smile on her punch colored lips. ''So, what do you want to do now?''

…

Night had fallen by the time Hiccup and Astrid were done flying around the island, talking about their first adventures on this outpost and of course, making out while no one was around to disturb them. This place was somewhat the birth of their relationship and they would always thank those years for that. It seemed not too long ago they had first truly kissed each other, sitting on the edge on the landing platform. Sure, Astrid had kissed Hiccup plenty of times before that, but this had been different. She'd felt something different than before when she was around him and she couldn't deny those feelings. She was in love with him and Hiccup felt the same way. It had never been a secret for Hiccup. Like mentioned earlier, Hiccup couldn't hide things from her. Whatever they were.

Now the sun had sunk and the stars glittered in the sky like billions of fireflies buzzing in the night. Astrid sat on the edge of the Clubhouse's exterior platforms and looked out at the pale horizon, holding her legs tightly and enjoying the peaceful noises of the nightlife. Hiccup sure would love this. She turned halfway around to see her beloved lying down on the building's wooden floor with a blanket just lying over his form with Toothless curled up close to him. They had agreed to make camp here so they could watch the sunset together and sleep under the moon. She watched as his chest rose and fell so gently and Astrid dropped the idea to wake him up to go on a starlit flight, deciding to go on her own.

Calling her dragon, Astrid approached her Nadder and climbed onto the saddle and took off instantly, leaving Hiccup to rest while she went for a little ride under the cover of darkness.

She still couldn't believe it had been over six months since they packed up their stuff and left this island. Overlooking it now on her own, she realized Hiccup had been right. She did miss the adventures this place brought them. Even _on_ the island, there was mystery everywhere you looked. The Night Terrors, the twin's rock, Fishlegs' cave, the Rumblehorn, the volcano… Her mind rushed with memories like a lifetime set in fast-forward before her eyes. She smiled at herself and looked down at the buildings she soared above, her braid flying in the cool breeze as her gaze scanned the outpost.

She was just about to head for the rocky side of the island to have some fun zigzagging through the stacks of boulders and chasing wild Terrors when movement caught her eyes down below her dragon's wings. Rubbing her eyes to see more clearly, Astrid leaned to the side to get a better view and saw it again. There were two shadows moving fast across the bridges connecting the buildings but she couldn't tell whether they were human or not. But all she knew at that moment was that they were traveling fast and heading right toward…

Her eyes quickly shifted to the Clubhouse where Hiccup and Toothless slept and Astrid pulled on Stormfly's saddle to bring her to hover.

''Whoa, Stormfly!'' she said as the Nadder squawked at the sudden order. ''We need to get to Hiccup and fast.'' Her dragon roared in reply and whether that was an agreement or a complaint, she didn't know. But that didn't matter right now. She had to reach the Clubhouse before these two figures did.

They dived down like a meteor and quickly approached the building. Hopping down her dragon before Stormfly even landed, Astrid rushed to Hiccup and shook him awake. Toothless rose his head and yawned, blinking his green eyes in fatigue at Astrid, his expression asking what could be so important to disturb him in his sleep.

Hiccup groaned and looked up at Astrid with narrowed eyes, her image blurry as he blinked the sleep away.

''Astrid?'' he asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position, the blanket falling off loosely on the floor. ''What's going on? What—''

''Hiccup, listen to me,'' she whispered, rising to her feet and offering a hand to grab. ''There's someone or something on the island. I don't know who or what, but they're on the base as we speak.''

Hiccup frowned in confusion at her, rubbing his tired eyes with his palms. ''But we defeated Krogan and Johann,'' he said, recalling their final battle against the Flyer and traitor. ''Why would someone be here?''

''I don't know,'' replied Astrid, keeping her voice as low as she possibly could. ''But last I saw they were heading right for the Clubhouse. I'd rather catch them and know instead of taking random guesses.''

Toothless came to his rider's side and sniffed the air loudly, letting the fresh scents fill his nostrils. Almost immediately, his eyes narrowed to slits and deep growling echoed from down his throat.

''You're right,'' said Hiccup after a short silence, his sleepy voice fading away and taking a much more serious tone. ''Now let's catch these guys before they get away.''

Astrid grabbed her double-headed battle-ax from her bags, the heavy blade whistling through the air as she swung it over her shoulder. As for Hiccup, he took hold of his newest version of his Inferno, the one he could sheath on itself and strap to his right thigh, making the object look harmless.

Approaching the corner of the building, Hiccup leaned against the wall and cast a look over his shoulder only to see nothing but an empty passageway, the moon's light shining down cold glow on the base. His surroundings were nothing more than black and white as if the colors of the world had been drained from the surface of the Earth. Daring to step out of their hiding place, Hiccup took a few steps forward, his emerald green eyes scanning every shadow around him with Inferno held tightly before him, still sheathed to keep the element of surprise.

Astrid stood behind him with a fearsome look on her face, her blue eyes narrowed dangerously as she followed Hiccup's lead. She could hear her slow breathing along with the crickets and distant Night Terror screeches filling the silence hovering above them.

''Are you sure-?'' asked Hiccup, but Astrid cut him off before he could finish.

''I'm sure of what I saw, Hiccup,'' said Astrid, keeping an eye on the shadows.

It's only when loud noises coming from both the twin's hut and Snotlout's hut that the Riders froze and exchanged a look. Hiccup nodded Astrid to go for Ruffnut and Tuffnut's lodgment while he handled the one here, furrowing his eyebrows as he gingerly approached the building, ready to ignite his sword any moment now.

He paused for a second and suddenly, a form rushed out from behind the Monstrous Nightmare hut and ran down the bridges, heading for his own place.

''Hey!'' called Hiccup after the figure, reaching out a hand as if to stop them while they climbed onto the building and disappeared. Mumbling under his breath, the Rider chased after them, his prosthetic hitting the wood rhythmically. He hurried to his hut and quickly pulled the handle, sending the door flying up and presenting him to a very empty room.

Careful for any sudden movement, the young Rider slowly walked inside, turning on himself in case they hid behind him. Nothing seemed to be happening as he held his breath, waiting for the figure to show itself. And when Hiccup convinced himself there was no one here despite this feeling in his gut, a deep growl caught his attention and Hiccup twisted around and looked up to see a massive form dropping from the ceiling and nearly crushing him where he stood. Thankfully, the heir acted fast and threw himself to the floor with a yelp. Considering there was no more excuse avoiding skywriting, Hiccup clicked his Inferno to light up and the blade slid out on its own, its surface flaming as Monstrous Nightmare gel burned bright. He quickly picked himself up and swung Inferno at the stranger, only to meet another sword glowing with blue fire, its surface as shiny as Gronckle Iron. But Hiccup chased that admiration away and concentrated on the fight as blue and red flames mixed up, lighting up the room like a bonfire. With this much light, Hiccup could finally see who the intruder was and as his eyes landed on the creature standing before him, all Hiccup could do was gasp in shock at the hideous horns and fangs from the beast he was facing.

''What—'' he began, but before he could say another word, he was violently thrown across the room with the single shove of an arm. His back hit the wooden wall hard and Hiccup crashed on his bottom while holding his middle tightly, Inferno out of his reach as the creature approached him threateningly, its footsteps making the whole place quiver.

Unable to defend himself, Hiccup tried to shrink away as it wrapped its four-fingered hand around his collar and lifted him off the ground, holding him up so their eyes were at the same level.

''Where is she?'' it demanded, its other fist tightening and ready to do whatever it took to get an answer.

''What are you talking about?!'' asked Hiccup, trying to free himself by beating his fists in vain against the stony skin.

''Jim, stop!'' called a voice from the entrance of the building and both Jim and Hiccup turned their heads to see two feminine figures standing in the moonlight.

Feeling the grip loosen up around his tunic, Hiccup was dropped on the hard floor, the back of his head hitting the wall with a loud thud. Whether it was the hit or the events, Hiccup still found himself drifting off as his vision became darker until he was met with nothing else but a big fluffy blanket of blackness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait, I had to write this story whole before returning on Fanfiction. But here I am and I look forward to your comments on this crossover.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Astrid watched Hiccup's grim face as he nodded her towards the twin's Zippleback hut where one of two _BANGS!_ had rung. With her trusty ax held tightly between her hands, she took off in that direction, her feet delicately hitting the wood planks as she trotted down the passageway to catch their mysterious intruders.

Whether they were people or just some loose boars, she had to catch them and clear her head from ridiculous scenarios that someone out there was still on their case and wanted to bring them down like every enemy they've faced throughout the last couple years.

She narrowed her eyes as she approached the green-painted building, the moonlight making her fearsome eyes shine bright as she focused on her mission.

A series of quick steps against the platforms had the shieldmaiden's gaze snap to its source and she approached the opposite side of the structure carefully, picturing the intruder pressing their back against the wall, hoping she might go away.

Letting her weapon drop to her side, Astrid followed the wall, a grin appearing on her lips as she slowly crawled up to the stranger standing right around the corner.

And with a battle-cry, the young warrior jumped out of where she stood and brought her heavy ax before her, the end pointing right up at a young girl with her hands reached over her head, brown eyes filled with terror.

Yet, as skinny and fragile as she looked, Astrid was caught off guard when she shouted in return and threw herself at her, knocking them both to the ground with a heavy thud.

Astrid rolled her off and was fast on her feet, her blade down at her chest as she lay there, breathless. She looked down at the colorful clothing, frowning in confusion at such exotic colors.

''Who are you?'' demanded Astrid of a commanding voice, refusing to let herself be fooled like she was once with Heather back on Berk. ''And what are you doing on our island?''

The intruder swallowed hard while eyeing the object fearfully.

''Look, we started off on the wrong foot,'' she said, pressing a delicate hand on the cold metal of the ax. ''My name is Claire Nunez. We need your help.''

''With what?'' asked Astrid, refusing to drop her weapon just yet.

She needed answers from this girl.

''T-there was this battle that left my friend injured and w-we need to find a stone to heal him,'' she explained, rushing her words to escape this situation with a blade at her throat. ''We really don't mean any harm.''

''Yeah, I saw just that when you knocked me over,'' accused Astrid, her sky-blue eyes narrowed dangerously down at her.

But after a moment of quiet where she left Claire dreading, she let her features rest and finally allowed her ax to drop. The young warrior leaned over and offered a hand, pulling this newcomer to her feet.

''But I like your spirit, so I'll give you a chance.''

''Thank you,'' replied Claire, surprised at the sudden change of heart from this young stranger while she dusted herself off. ''What's your name?''

''I'm Astrid,'' she replied, sheathing her ax to her back and placing her hands on her hips before carrying on. ''There was another intruder on the base, were they with you?''

''If you're talking about the human-troll hybrid, then yes,'' confirmed Claire, pushing a few loose hair locks from her face that had escaped from the very short fight.

She noticed confusion paint over Astrid's face and Claire quickly apologized. Of course, they would never have heard that word. They were centuries away from home and Jim was the very first hybrid! How stupid could she be?

''I mean, yes, my friend is traveling with me. We just got separated.''

''Okay, well, Hiccup's after him as we speak,'' informed Astrid, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of Snotlout's hut. ''It shouldn't be too long before—''

A loud _BANG!_ caught both girls' attention and they exchanged a quick look before rushing to its source which turned out to be Hiccup's hut. Terrified shouts echoed around the walls, making Astrid wonder who her betrothed might possibly be facing to make him sound so horrified.

''Hiccup!'' called Astrid, cupping her mouth with a hand before dashing forward and sliding in front of the entrance of the building.

Astrid gasped at the sight of a massively built creature holding her leader by the front of his red tunic. Whatever that thing was, it was way stronger than Hiccup and she hated herself to have gotten the easy prey.

Claire was fast by her side, their shadows dancing against the floor as she tightened her small fists to her side and shouted with a commanding yet frightened voice, ''Jim, stop!''

Instantly, the beast-like figure dropped Hiccup on the floor and Astrid watched as he hit his head hard against the wall. Feeling he was about to black out soon, she reached his side and collapsed to her knees next to him, placing her hands on both shoulders to shake him out of it and bring him back to their world.

''Hiccup,'' she whispered to him, leaning down to meet his blinking eyes. ''Are you okay?''

Hiccup groaned in reply, baring his teeth at the pain in his nuke. His vision was blurry and every single noise seemed distant. The image of a dark and tall shape leaned forward on him with voices echoing around like he was deep underwater. And when he recovered, Hiccup's eyes flashed wide at the creature towering before him. He tried to back away again only to hit his head against the wall once again.

''Whoa!'' shouted Hiccup, holding an arm up to defend himself in case it tried to come at him again. ''What are you?!''

''He's a troll,'' answered a voice he didn't know and the Rider dared cast a look at the young girl with short brown hair approaching the powerful intruder.

Jim snorted loudly down at her, clearly insulted to be called so.

''Well, half-troll,'' she corrected.

''Half-human,'' finished Jim, making a gesture of his human-like hand.

When Hiccup felt the tense atmosphere cool down, he picked himself up and retrieved Inferno that's been knocked out of his hand by this brute. Even though Jim no longer showed signs of aggression, the heir still kept a lookout, eyeing him suspiciously.

You would've thought that Hiccup would've been opened to differences when it came to learning new things. Well, that rule did apply on dragons, but when a half-troll sneaks up on you and tries to kill you, you might not accept that stranger as opened-armed as you would think even though they seem friendly the minute after. And that was the exact conflict Hiccup found himself stuck with.

''So, what are you guys doing here again?'' asked Astrid, seeming to trust the newcomers way more than her leader did.

But eventually, Hiccup brushed the hatred for Jim aside and focused on their situation.

''We're on a mission,'' replied Jim, turning to face the blonde warrior.

''What kind of mission?'' asked Hiccup, an edge to his tone as he crossed his arms over his chest while joining his betrothed's side.

''We were in a battle not too long ago and Jim got hurt pretty bad,'' explained Claire, meeting the young Rider's green eyes.

But Hiccup didn't flinch or take any pity for this Jim.

''Well, he seems fine to me,'' he said flatly, wearing his poker face at the half-troll.

Jim noticed the tone and flattened his pointy ears, deep growls coming from down his throat.

''He was poisoned with Creeper Sun's,'' continued Claire, rolling her eyes at the two and shifting her attention on Astrid who seemed more opened to hear what they had to say. ''You know of it?''

''It doesn't ring any bell,'' answered Astrid after trying to recall if she'd heard that word somewhere.

''Well, we need to find an ingredient to the cure that no longer exists where we come from,'' said Claire, shifting her eyes from Astrid to Hiccup. ''Or should I say, from _when_ we come from.''

Hiccup was pulled out of his very wild thoughts concerning Jim and became very intrigued of what this young girl was saying and exchanged a look with Astrid.

''So what you're saying is… you're from the future?'' asked Hiccup, hesitant to not sound like a complete idiot.

''I guess so,'' said Claire, looking up at Jim with memories in her eyes. ''But our friend, Merlin, claimed that we were so far back in time that the world's become more like another dimension.''

Hiccup reached a hand to his chin, rubbing his invisible beard thoughtfully.

''That's crazy…'' he mumbled under his breath.

After all, why shouldn't he believe it? He's just been attacked by a human-troll hybrid. After that, he might as well believe anything.

''So what exactly are you searching for?'' asked Astrid, eager to help out.

''It's called a Heartstone,'' said Claire, making a diamond-like shape with her arms. ''It's a golden glowing crystal that's usually found deep underground. There's still left from our century, but it's way too far and we fear Jim won't make it in time.''

''Oh, what a shame,'' commented Hiccup, eyeing Jim from the corner of his eye.

Astrid rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's egoist behavior and placed her hands on her spiky leather skirt.

''And you figured he would survive if you crossed dimensions?'' questioned the shieldmaiden.

''It's a long way,'' said Jim, glaring at Hiccup once last time before continuing his explanation. ''About 2500 miles or so. We can't travel nonstop and trolls aren't exactly welcomed by humans. And I probably don't even have 100 days to live. I might not reach the Heartstone in that little time.''

''Alright, relax, big guy,'' said Hiccup, scratching his jawline while searching for a solution. ''We won't just let you die. At least we have some humanity to help you.''

Jim didn't like that remark and made an aggressive move towards him, only for Claire to hold him back with a hand pressed on his front Daylight armor.

''How about Fireworm Island?'' proposed Astrid, coming closer to Hiccup's side as his eyes scanned blankly down at the floorboards. ''It's pretty deep underground. We might find something in those caves with some luck.''

Hiccup looked up at her, and he nodded gradually.

''Yeah, it's worth a shot," he agreed and glanced sideways at the newcomers just waiting for their next words since they were in their grounds now. ''Alright, let's get the dragons saddled up. We're leaving now. The sooner you're out of here, the better it'll be for all of us.''

Despite the Rider's straight words, Jim and Claire followed him out of the hut, having no other choice but to trust their new helpers.

Jim disliked Hiccup as much as he did, but he didn't make another move towards the boy, equally wanting to be out of here as soon as possible. All he wanted was to get that Heartstone and go straight back home, leaving all of this behind and carry on living his life amongst his people, friends, and family. He asked for nothing else.

But as they mounted up on the Night Fury and Deadly Nadder, the gang never noticed the ship sailing in their direction, breaking the calm surface of the ocean at night in pursuit of the leader of the Dragon Riders.


	5. Chapter 5

It was dawn when the Dragon Riders and Trollhunters arrived at Fireworm Island, its stony and lifeless surface making the pile of rock seem uninhabited by any living creature. The sky was slowly turning from a peaceful blue with stars glittering in the background to a pale grey that announced a beautiful day.

The dragons dropped at the entrance of the cave, their paws delicately setting on the sleek ground.

Toothless folded his gigantic black wings, allowing his passengers to dismount with a soft growl.

Jim hopped off the Night Fury and watched the dragon with admiration as it shook its head and followed its Rider approaching the entrance of a cave that seemed to stretch into a tunnel that went quite a long way down.

Astrid and Claire dismounted as well and came closer to Hiccup who stood tall before the dark hole in the rock. Nothing seemed to be happening as the Trollhunter approached the heir, observing the scratches marked all over the contour of the cave.

''What are we waiting for?'' demanded Jim impatiently, gesturing at the tunnel running down deep. ''We're losing time.''

He was about to walk straight inside when a high-pitch roar echoed from the cavity and Hiccup rose an arm before the hybrid, preventing him to take another step forward.

''Not yet,'' he ordered grimly, listening attentively for the multiple paw steps of the Fireworm Queen coming their way at extreme speed to be moving on the ground. ''She's coming.''

Jim cocked an eyebrow at Hiccup but still obeyed and took a step backward.

A bright glow from down the tunnel had the Trollhunter narrow his eyes to figure out what was coming their way and prepared his hand to summon Daylight in case it spelled bad news.

Hiccup didn't move even slightly as the red-hot dragon rushed out of her nest and spread her wings wide, revealing the many markings similar to those of a butterfly. She rose on her hind paws and roared sharply, making herself look intimidating at the intruders that had dared set foot on her island.

But when she settled back down, she approached Hiccup and sniffed him suspiciously, her sun-bright eyes narrowed dangerously on him until she recognized his scent and shook her head in welcome.

''Yeah, that's it,'' said Hiccup, reaching out a hand to pat her snot gently. ''You remember me, don't you? Saving each other's butt plenty of times in the past, that leaves a mark, doesn't it?''

The Queen circled around the gang and rushed back inside her nest as a gesture that they were welcomed to follow.

''Alright, common,'' called Hiccup to the rest without turning around to address them.

All they were looking for was a golden crystal. Hiccup just hoped they would find one there so the hybrid would leave already. It hadn't even been a whole night and he'd already gotten more on his nerves than Snotlout and the twins combined in a week on Dragon's Edge. And that was hard to beat.

Eventually, after a long walk through the main entrance, they finally entered the nest of the Fireworm Queen. Walls were covered with honeycombs which Snotlout had learned were actually eggs and then served as food for hatchlings from his little adventure down the previous nest that had been attacked by the Cavern Crasher.

Hiccup lead the group and cast a look over his shoulder to make sure everyone was there and noticed Jim approach one of the honeycombs curiously. The Rider turned around sharply and reached out a hand to stop him from where he stood.

''I wouldn't touch that if I were you,'' warned Hiccup, looking around for the queen. ''The Fireworm Queen might have allowed us inside but you better not touch her babies.''

Jim groaned and rolled his eyes, returning the party as they gazed around in wonder but also to find the crystal. But after walking for a while without finding a trace of a single glimmering stone, the group stopped dead in their tracks.

''If there were crystals down here, we'd already found some by now,'' noted Claire, her eyes scanning the large cave one last time before turning to the others. ''The Heartstone is usually surrounded by many other colorful crystals. You couldn't miss it.''

''Alright, well,'' said Hiccup, turning back around with a gesture of his hand for the others to follow. ''Guess we'll be looking elsewhere then.''

They slowly retraced their steps back to the entrance of the cavern and finally reached the main tunnel that led to the bright exterior. Astrid and Claire walked side by side while Jim and Hiccup stayed apart, the dragons following behind, exchanging a couple squawks and coos.

Jim looked up ahead at Hiccup walking on his own at the head of the group and sighed. This adventure would sure be more enjoyable if he got along with his helpers. The girls seemed fine. They chatted and exchanged a few laughs. Why was it always easier for girls to socialize? He wondered how Claire did it. Maybe if he were a little bit more positive and less aggressive to Hiccup they might actually see eye to eye on things.

Straightening up, he caught up to the Rider and walked by his side. But Hiccup refused to even turn his head to face him and kept his gaze fixed up ahead.

''So,'' said Jim, breaking the silence between them, his voice echoing on the rocky walls around them. ''Do you have another island in mind?''

''Not exactly,'' replied Hiccup, his tone cold as he answered.

''How about Whispering Death tunnels?'' came Astrid's voice right behind him and the heir cast a look over his shoulder.

''Not deep enough,'' he said, frowning as he searched for the next island they should head to. ''The only place I can think of are the Northern Markets.''

Hiccup turned around to face his betrothed as the last two words left his mouth, his eyes meeting hers for her accord to fly to such a dangerous island.

''Where's that?'' demanded Claire, wondering what the big deal was.

''A couple hours flight from here. A place crowded with all sorts of dangerous Vikings, mostly unfriendly to dragons,'' informed Hiccup, a serious mask worn all over his face and Claire understood this wasn't an easy decision to take. ''So if we're gonna set foot there, we'll have to be in 'n' out, no fooling around.''

''Oh, 'cause you think we're the kind who fool around?'' said Jim, clearly offended by the Rider's statement.

It only took a split second to drop the efforts of trying to be friends with Hiccup.

''We have a whole species to protect back home!''

''Yeah, well, you're not the only one with that title, troll,'' replied Hiccup, glaring up at the hybrid with his hair dangling before his eyes.

''Troll? By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half human. So that's 50% of me that's stupid. That's a 100% you.'' he said, quickly turning to his girlfriend. ''No offense, Claire.''

''None taken,'' she said, shrugging her shoulders mindlessly.

''Your math is blowing my mind,'' said Hiccup flatly, rolling his eyes before adding more to the pile as if there wasn't enough already.

Astrid felt a sudden draft coming from the exit and shouts reached her ears even though Jim and Hiccup insulted each other nonstop. She narrowed her eyes on the bright light, an awful feeling building in her gut that something was wrong.

''Uh, guys?'' she called without ever letting her gaze leave the end of the tunnel.

Of course, they didn't hear her and kept going, Claire trying to separate them.

But what did silence them alright was the quivering of the cave as a large boulder crashed at the cave's entrance, causing a tumbling of rocks from the roof to crumble down and block the light of day that penetrated underground. It only took a short amount of time for the cave to be completely sealed and the Dragon Riders and Trollhunters ran towards the tumble of boulders, dust filling the air all around it.

Toothless roared sharply and so did Stormfly before breathing a plume of flame to provide some light in the total darkness.

''Thanks, bud,'' said Hiccup before kneeling down to analyze what could've possibly caused this.

''What was that?'' asked Claire after clearly her lungs from the heavy dust, moving some air before her face.

''Who could've possibly wanted to trap us in here?'' asked Astrid, coming close to her leader's side.

He may not have seen what she saw, but she could tell this was someone's work. Someone who had fired a boulder to trap them on purpose.

''The war's at its end. Who could hold a grudge against us now?''

Hiccup stayed quiet for a moment before straightening himself.

''I don't know,'' he replied, studying the tumble. ''But we're gonna find out any moment now. Toothless, if you wouldn't mind?''

The Night Fury growled low and lowered himself, purple fire glowing from his parted jaws before blasting the pile of rocks and making even more dust rise in the air. They all coughed again before opening their eyes and finally seeing the bright daylight through the slit the dragon had managed to create, allowing them to escape the underground.

Hiccup took careful steps on a few rocks before reaching the main ground of the island. He looked down at the shaded stone, some patches of sand resting on its cool surface.

What surprised him was that there wasn't a single footstep or trace of a wheel from a catapult which he assumed was the object of the crime.

Jim walked behind him, his gaze scanning their surroundings only to find it completely empty without the trace of someone to blame.

''Guess you were wrong,'' commented Jim, smiling in triumph for some twisted reason.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and looked out at the ocean, its surface wavy with a lot of wind blowing their way.

''Whoever did this was aboard a ship,'' reported Hiccup before turning to the two girls, the Trollhunter standing by. ''There's no trace of anyone having stepped on the ground in front of the cave except for our own prints.''

''Why would someone passing by just blast the cliffside and trap us in?'' said Astrid, widening her arms. ''It makes no sense.''

''If I had to take a guess, I'd say we've been followed all the way here. And then as soon as they got the chance, they just took a shot and dropped the mountain on us,'' said Hiccup, Toothless joining his Rider's side as he usually did when danger was near. ''We'll have to watch our backs from now on.''

Mounting up on his Night Fury, Hiccup turned his dragon around and waited for the hybrid to climb on.

''Well, let's keep going if we want to get you guys back whenever you come from,'' he said when either troll or girl made a move to climb behind the Riders.

He looked down at them expectantly and noticed how Jim's confident expression had faded as he looked up at the blue sky of day, the sunrays warming up the cold island like a bonfire in winter. Bright light shone in the hybrid's bright blue eyes like a flame, and Hiccup waited in silence while he made up his mind. But to his surprise, Jim took a couple steps back from the dragon, holding his upper arm with his bare four-fingered hand.

''I…'' he said, drifting off while looking out at the pale horizon like a painful memory rushing back to the surface. ''I can't be in the sunlight.''


	6. Chapter 6

**AHH! It's today the big day! The Hidden World! After 4 years and like 7 months, at last. Feels like yesterday there were like 900 days left to the movie. Can't believe it's been that long since I've entered this fandom. I've been obsessed for 6 years now. I had written the whole Book of Dragons in 6th grade (redid it, of course) and this is my last year of High School. Gosh, time sure flies. How about you? How long have you been a crazy fan of Httyd? Let me know below.**

 **As for chapter 6, enjoy!**

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Great. So now they learn the troll can't be in the sunlight otherwise he turns to stone and dies. Just perfect.

Looking up at the big fireball floating in space with a hand to shield his eyes, the Rider sighed in exasperation.

Hiccup turned away from the edge of the cliff that plummeted right down into the rocking water, joining the group that sat on the pile of boulders right outside the crevice that had allowed them to escape the darkness.

Right now they had nothing better to do than to wait until nightfall so they could reach to Markets and get this all over with. Gosh, he couldn't wait for Jim to part. He couldn't remember anyone that had ever gotten on his nerves as much a Jim did. Well, perhaps Dagur when he was deranged but the Berserker never quite reached that level. But it was close enough to compare to.

Jim sat next to Claire in the shade of the island, their journey put on pause while they awaited the arrival of darkness. It was so painful out here. There was nowhere to go. All they could do was sit around and wait for time to pass by. At least back home among decent civilization the trolls had access to underground passages such as the sewers. It was easy to travel during the day and accomplish more than just bet bored and make up what-if stories because you couldn't find one stupid magical stone. Gosh, he missed his friends, his family… There's nothing Jim wouldn't do to be back in Arcadia as well as be back in his human body. This half-troll hybrid he'd become had taken away half of his humanity and the part he hated most was to never again be able to stand in the blinding light of a sunset while holding Claire's hand.

Claire reached Jim's shoulder and brought him out of his troubled thoughts, her tender smile reassuring him fast that everything would turn out okay.

Meeting her brown eyes, the Trollhunter placed his hand over hers, a loud sigh escaping his nostrils in appreciation of her support.

Astrid watched the discrete scene and smiled to herself, letting her gaze trail back to Hiccup who was walking back to them after trying to guess in how long the sun would be sinking behind the ocean line. She cast one last look at the couple and came up to her betrothed, grasping his hand to stop him.

''You know, instead of sitting around all day, what do you say we have some fun?'' proposed Astrid, leaning against his ear so that the Trollhunters wouldn't hear.

''Well, let me point out the obvious,'' replied Hiccup, looking over at the hybrid. ''How?''

''Ask Jim to join you on patrol with Toothless and I'll stay behind and chat with Claire,'' said Astrid, her voice so soft in Hiccup's ear, it gave him chills.

But the idea of spending time with the Trollhunter did not please him at all though.

''You want me to invite Jim on a patrol?'' he echoed, frowning in confusion. ''You know how that's gonna end.''

''Or, it might just fix things,'' replied Astrid, casting a look over her shoulder. ''It would give you a chance to start things over with him. We might not be out of the woods just yet and I think it might be a good thing that you two find a way to get along for the rest of our search.''

Hiccup sighed in defeat and straightened up a little.

''Fine,'' he replied dryly. ''But you owe me one.''

Astrid smiled and right as he was about to leave her side, she reached her hand to his face and cupped his jaw, pulling him in a sweet kiss on the lips that said 'thank you'.

''I love you,'' she said before letting go of his hand, watching him as he approached the Trollhunter and asked if he would join him on patrol.

''Wait,'' said Jim, placing his hands before him. ''You want _me_ to go with you?''

''Correction, I don't,'' said Hiccup, his arms crossed over his chest.

He looked over his shoulder at Astrid and sighed.

''But we got a long journey ahead of us and I think it'd be a good thing we get to know each other a little better. What do you say?''

Jim exchanged a look with Claire and the Trollhunter met the Rider's gaze once again.

''I can't be in the sun,'' he reminded, gesturing at the space around them.

''Then we'll walk,'' said Hiccup, finding a solution for every problem Jim might through at him.

After all, he wasn't doing this for him. He was doing it for Astrid. She's the only one who could talk to him into this kind of stuff.

''Toothless will be your sun-blocker.''

The Night Fury that had been resting in a patch of sunlight lifted up his head at the mention of his name, his ears perked up attentively.

Jim stared up at the Viking suspiciously for a moment and finally agreed to join him on his stupid patrol.

Waving bye to Claire, he followed Hiccup with the dragon holding up an outstretched wing over his head for protection.

''They'll be fine,'' reassured Astrid as she joined Claire's side, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched them leave.

''I know,'' replied Claire as she watched her half-boyfriend disappear behind the corner of a cliff side and Toothless' wing retreat as they borrowed a shady passage.

Hiccup and Jim followed a shadowed trail that ran the side of the island with Toothless following closely behind, his wings folded tightly to his side for the road wasn't very large. Jim's armored shoulders nearly grazed the cliffside while Hiccup was quite comfortable leading the way.

Even though it was quiet between them, Jim didn't find the atmosphere too tense and actually enjoyed taking a walk with the ocean breeze blowing on him. Toothless growled low behind him and the Trollhunter turned halfway around to see the dragon just yawning, its mouth completely toothless. Jim frowned in confusion, reviewing the dragons he had imagined for so long during his youth; massive scaly creatures with long necks and razor-sharp teeth that could cut through anything. Toothless was far from that typical model.

Turning back around, Jim listened to the repetitive _click!_ of Hiccup's metal leg and was tempted him to ask a question.

''Hey, can I ask you something?'' asked Jim, reaching out a hand to him.

''Can I stop you?'' asked Hiccup in return, gazing straight ahead.

''How did you lose your leg?'' asked Jim, gesturing to the prosthetic, but Hiccup never even slowed down.

He guessed he'd been asked that frequently so it didn't bother him so much anymore.

''Well, I was in a battle against a huge monster called the Red Death with Toothless,'' answered Hiccup to Jim's surprise.

To be honest, he had thought he would just ignore him.

''Did you win?'' asked Jim curiously.

''Yes,'' replied Hiccup. ''But I had to sacrifice a leg to do so. To protect the home I love, to be the hero to both Vikings and dragons, I had to pay a price.''

Jim let his eyes drop to the stony ground as he recalled the choice Merlin had given him before he'd become part troll. The sorcerer's words echoed in his mind like a song put on replay.

 _''To win this war, I must have a champion with a foot in both worlds. The Amulet chose you to become the first_ human _Trollhunter, but you were never destined to remain so. To protect the world you love, to be the champion of both humans and trolls, you need to be_ more _than human. You need to become both Troll and Hunter.''_

He remembered it all too clearly and Hiccup's words felt like he had suffered the same fate as he did.

''I used to be human, you know,'' said Jim, a sad tone to his voice, making the young Viking stop in his tracks. ''But war leaves us all a little bit _changed._ My humanity wasn't enough to vanquish the enemy and if I didn't sacrifice it to become what I am today, no one would've survived this war unscathed.''

Hiccup turned all the way around, meeting Jim's eyes with what felt like respect as far as he could tell.

''I guess we're more alike than we thought,'' said Hiccup, a weak smile growing on his lips.

''I guess we are,'' agreed Jim, his smile truthful despite his fangs sticking out of his lower jaw.

Then suddenly, the Rider's eyes darted past the Trollhunter's shoulder and Hiccup's relaxed features went straight to rigid as he ordered Jim to duck.

The two boys lay flat on their bellies as they peered up the ledge of the cliffside that dropped down a long way to the crashing waves of the merciless sea. Toothless lay as low as his size would allow, but at least they were on the shadowy side of the island, their dark figures easily blending with the dark stone wall.

Jim followed Hiccup's gaze, wondering what had possibly made the Rider act so strange all of a sudden and finally spotted the ship sailing at large with a dozen men aboard.

''Berserker ship,'' mumbled Hiccup, narrowing his eyes on the heavily armed crew.

He noticed the flattened catapult and figured out they were the ones who had taken the pleasure to trap them in a Fireworm cave.

''I wonder who's commanding it.''

''You think it was them?'' asked Jim, casting a quick look at the Rider before focusing on the enemy before them.

''I don't see who else,'' replied Hiccup, pointing at the weapons on the ship. ''See that catapult? These guys have something planned in mind. They're not just sailing around this heavily armed.''

A soldier that stood on the deck holding a crossbow suddenly turned his head in their direction and all three flattened themselves completely against the cool surface, waiting for an alarm call that they had them spotted. But when nothing came, they dared cast a look again to see that the guard had turned around.

''You wait here,'' said Hiccup, backing off the ledge to reach his dragon. ''I'm gonna fly over on Toothless and see what's going on. I need to know why Berserkers are after us.''

Mounting his Night Fury, Hiccup directed Toothless down the cliffside and dropped down the rock wall as swiftly as a leaf in the breeze. Jim watched as they disappeared below and wondered where they had gone when he didn't see the black dragon soar above the water's surface.

Leaning over the edge, Jim stretched his neck to see the deadly drop, the powerful waves of the angry sea crashing violently against the rocky shore. He placed his hand on a loose boulder while leaning in even forward and he could've sworn his heart skipped a beat as he felt the boulder give away under his weight.

Unfortunately, Jim wasn't fast enough to prevent himself from falling in the empty and let a shout of pure panic as he plummeted down towards the rocking ocean.

The Berserkers aboard the vessel all heard the cry and turned their heads to its source, spotting the Night Fury and its rider in the process.

Hiccup pulled on the handles of the saddle when he heard the shout and twisted around in confusion to see Jim dropping down to his death. The heir groaned in annoyance and redirected his dragon after the hybrid, flattening himself on the Night Fury's back to get there faster.

Right as Jim shut his eyes and braced himself for the cold smack of the waves, talons gripped his shoulders and cut his fall, carrying higher in the air.

Toothless roared sharply at the sudden added weight underneath him and worked hard on beating his wings to reach the trail and drop the half-troll. But today wasn't their day when a boulder crashed against the rock wall, dragging the Rider and Trollhunter's attention on the approaching Viking ship readying another boulder to fire.

''Come on, bud!'' hurried Hiccup to his dragon, but Toothless' wings were getting tired fast and he had trouble simply staying in the air.

''Fire!'' ordered the deep voice of a soldier down below and another boulder flew their way.

''Toothless!'' cried out Hiccup as it came right at them and the Night Fury flew out of the way just in time not to get hit, but wasn't fast enough to avoid misbalance.

The powerful gust of wind created by the boulder had Toothless spin out of control and crash on the trail they had been walking on before spotting the ship.

The Night Fury rolled to his side while Jim and Hiccup recovered, brushing the dirt off their clothes.

Hiccup groaned at the pain of his new scratches and picked himself up; only for his eyes to land on an old enemy he had thought he had seen for the last time back on Berserker Island.

Baring his teeth, the Rider glared down at the ex-Outcast standing tall on his ship weaponized to the maximum.

''Savage,'' Hiccup's fists tightened as he stared down at the ex-Outcast, mixed feelings burning in his chest.

''Missed me?'' said Savage, a nasty grin stretching all over his scarred face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Saw the Hidden World, and WHOA! Not what I expected! I'll talk about it more down below so there'll be spoilers. Read at your own risk! But let's get back to the story. Chapter 7 is up!**

* * *

Suspense hung in the air while the Hunter and Rider recovered from their crash against the cliffside that left them slightly dizzy.

While Hiccup stared down at the man on the ship, frozen on the spot, Jim pressed his hands to the ground, only to feel the agonizing pain of the sunlight kissing his stony blue skin.

His exposed fingers glimmered bright and smoke rose from the surface with an alarming hiss until he jerked backward, back in the shade and away from the light. He studied his situation and found that the boulders had actually broken the unstable side of the island and caused a small tumble of rocks and dirt, blocking the passage that they were following before noticing the enemy ship. Now they were trapped – or at least, Jim was – between the bright light of the sun shining down on the island from where they'd come through and a pile of boulders that didn't have enough pity to give them a chance to go through.

''We need to get out of here,'' declared Hiccup, looking down at the Hunter urgently as the vessel sailed closer.

They watched wide-eyed as the Vikings below reloaded their catapult and readied to fire once again. ''We're sitting ducks!''

''No kidding!'' cried Jim, backing off from the sun and bumping against Toothless in the process.

Hiccup's gasp reached Jim's pointy ears as the heir's eyes trailed to the bright patch of sun, leaving them only a small space of shade. They were trapped in a dead end, and if they didn't act fast, Jim would either end up toasted of crushed under a boulder.

Hiccup turned back to face the ship and tried to think of a plan fast, considering the short amount of time they had on their hands.

A yell from below rang, saying, ''We got 'em!'' and Hiccup noticed the smug grin on the ex-Outcast's face as he looked up at them in triumph. But he wouldn't let Savage win that easily. Not if he could do something about it. He had faced that deranged maniac many times over the years ever since his war against Alvin and the Outcasts. And he'd defeated the man repeatedly. This time would be no different.

A series of arrows suddenly whistled through the air and Hiccup crouched with his hands over his head, only for Toothless to stretch a black wing over the two boys for protection. The pointy sticks bounced off the Night Fury's scales harmlessly and the dragon retrieved his extension, allowing his Rider to straightening up again.

Hiccup frowned and looked down at Jim who stared wide-eyed in terror as the sunlight stretched to touch him.

''Toothless,'' he called to his dragon, and the Night Fury jerked his head up, attentive for his Rider's next orders. ''You get Jim outta here. Now!''

Toothless nodded firmly and wrapped his paws around the half-troll. In a moment of confusion, Jim yelped as the Night Fury trapped him with his dark wings, rolling out of range for the attacking Vikings and into the sunlight.

Once out of danger, Toothless spread his wings, Jim safe under the dragon's shade.

But the game wasn't over just yet. The hybrid looked up to see Hiccup still stuck on the cliffside, ready for Savage's next attack. He stared back at the young Viking fearfully; afraid he might get himself killed because of him and reached out a hand only for the sun to kiss his skin, forcing him to stay where he lay, useless.

Hiccup ignored Jim's shouts despite the feeling just begging him to turn and run and focused on the enemy down there. He had to do something to slow them down. They were stuck on this island all day and if he just kept running, Savage would eventually get to him and they would all be done for.

Looking down at what he could use while his mind rushed with solutions, the Rider's eyes landed on his prosthetic, Inferno… Wait, Inferno!

Snatching his invention from the straps at his right thigh, Hiccup flipped the dragon blade and grabbed a container of Zippleback gas, clicking it in place on the seemingly harmless little object.

The alarming whistle of flying arrows had Hiccup drop to the ground as the deadly sticks impaled themselves in the rock wall where he once stood.

Flat on his belly, he pressed the button and a green cloud started forming around him. Smiling to himself, Hiccup picked himself fast and made a run to where Toothless and Jim were, safe from danger. Behind him, a trail of green licked the cliffside Hiccup knew wasn't very stable.

Before he had joined his dragon's side, he shouted, ''Now, Toothless!'' and the Night Fury fired a small plasma blast past his Rider despite the knowledge that Hiccup wasn't out of danger just yet.

But the moment his purple fire hit the Zippleback gas, Hiccup dived for cover and a huge explosion deafened their ears. Not long after the breath-taking blast, the distant sound of crumbling made the ground quiver and an earth slide appeared through the thick grey smoke. Like thunder, the rocks and dirt tumbled down the side of the island and sunk in the water, barely avoiding the Berserker ship.

Rocking out of control by the powerful waves created by the rock avalanche, the vessel was sent at large, spinning out of control despite the crew's actions.

Their shouts echoed to the Rider and Hunter's ears and Hiccup and Jim slowly turned their heads to look at each other, bursting in laughter at the events.

...

As soon as the sun sunk down, the Dragon Riders and Trollhunters carried on with their journey.

Next stop, the Northern Markets.

Since its island was way up north and Fireworm Island down south, the fly to reach their destination wasn't a short one. But for Hiccup and Jim, a long flight was alright after facing an enemy ship that had just tried to kill them both. The night was chilly but no one could care less about the wind. For the first time since Jim crossed worlds, he actually found himself smiling. Not in a smug way or of satisfaction that Hiccup had been wrong. It wasn't like that. Just shutting his eyes and feeling his hair in the breeze made him stretch a toothy smile with both fangs sticking out from below.

He reached his hands to the sky and at the movement, Toothless looked back at his riders and roared sharply before diving down to the ocean below, taking the duo for a ride on their midnight travel.

Hiccup and Jim laughed hard as the Night Fury brushed his talons against the ocean, breaking the mirror.

Jim leaned to the side, seeing his reflected image before climbing higher in the sky and joining Astrid and Claire on Stormfly who exchanged a look that spoke for itself. They shrugged, happy these two finally got along after their misadventure.

When they reached the Markets, the sun was slowly creeping up from the horizon line but the group had made it underneath the canopy of the trees not too far away from the loud tents.

Even though the war was over, it didn't mean every single Viking in and outside the Archipelago had a change of heart regarding dragons. Some men and women wouldn't be hesitant to take down a Night Fury and Deadly Nadder at first sight.

Hiccup patted his dragon's snout after a whole night of flying and turned to the others.

''Astrid and I will go search for the Heartstone while you two rest,'' informed Hiccup, noticing the tired eyes of the Trollhunters. ''You're exhausted. And the sun's out. Better rest for the day.''

Jim and Claire nodded in appreciation and laid down the forest floor, Toothless curled up behind them, allowing the two to lean against his wing for comfort.

''We should be back by nightfall by the time we've gone through every kiosk,'' informed Astrid, a nod from Hiccup approving her approximation. ''Just stand out of eyesight and everything should be fine. But if anything happens, just run for the opposite side of the island. We'll find you.''

''Loud and clear.'' Jim waved them goodbye and the Riders left them to the cover of the trees, headed for the Markets.

The Northern Markets came into view when Hiccup and Astrid left their safe place. The clearing was crowded with all sorts of Vikings. Some men and women wore crests the Berkians had never seen, proving how exotic this place was. There were all sorts of goods for sale, from food to pearls. If they ought to find this Heartstone, this would be the place.

Beginning their search, the betrothed set out on their own way, scanning every hut for some precious stones. Hiccup remembered when he came here to get the stones he'd needed to finish his Dragon Eye Two. These little shiny rocks cost a fortune. And when that was the case, that meant they were quite rare so they had to find the right seller to buy it.

After looking for the first column of huts, Hiccup and Astrid regrouped and reported what they'd found.

''Nothing,'' sighed Astrid, reaching Hiccup's side. ''Though I did come across some Sunstones, but I don't think that's what it is.''

''No, those are gems,'' agreed Hiccup, reaching a hand to his chin thoughtfully. ''Their Heartstone is a crystal. Crystals are pure substances that have molecules arranged in a regular geometric pattern…''

''So, what are you saying?'' asked Astrid.

''I'm saying that… I don't think our answer lies here.'' Hiccup lifted his head and looked around at the tents. ''I have heard of crystals but I've never actually seen one with my very eyes.''

''So?''

''I'm saying that we won't find their stone here.'' He turned around to face Astrid, his explanation needless of words as he met her eyes. ''If we were to find it, we'd need to dig deep, and I mean _deep_ if we're to have a chance of laying hand on one.''

''So what are we gonna tell them?'' wondered Astrid, lowering her voice even though the Trollhunters were all the way back under the cover of the trees. ''Are we just gonna send them home?''

''I don't see what else we can do,'' admitted Hiccup, letting his shoulders drop. ''They came here to get a crystal we don't have. We're not gonna lie to them and pretend we might have the answer.''

Astrid took a moment and looked around, massaging the back of her neck.

''Alright,'' she sighed. ''But let's at least take a look at the rest of the tents, see if you might actually be wrong about this. This Heartstone is Jim's only chance of survival.''

''Fine.'' Hiccup was about to go his own way when a cry had both Riders spin around on their heels to see a man running around the Market, yelling ''She's here! She's here!''

The Riders stuck with each other, trying to figure out more of what was going on while a circle formed around the terrified peasant.

''S-she's coming,'' the man stammered, looking at every Viking dead in the eye, terror feasting on his soul as he tried to share his worries. ''And-and where she goes… Endless N-night… follows.''

* * *

 **I'll be sharing my thoughts about the Hidden World here so SPOILER ALERT!**

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 **For starters, did you like the movie? I did NOT expect the people to just leave Berk behind so easily. It's been part of the story for so long and they just abandoned it... I think that's kinda sad. I also feel like the Light Fury came out of nowhere. She was captured since the beginning, but how? What was she doing outside the Hidden World and why? Why fly away from her safe haven? Grimmel as well was never heard of expect from Eret... And there could've been so much more potential out of that character like Viggo! Oh, and talking about Viggo, I love how they fit a little of Race to the Edge in the movie. If you remember at the beginning when Eret says something like: "Grimmel is different. He plays with the mind. Everything's a game to him." And then Hiccup replies, "Yeah, we've dealt with that kind before." I'm so happy that they put that there! To carry on, the real downside to the story in my opinion, is that there wasn't enough punch. Like in HTTYD 2, it was Valka and Hiccup and Toothless becoming chieftains of their own clans. But for The Hidden World, we already knew dragons where gonna leave. And as for my favorite part, it was Ruffnut when she was captured. "Admit it, you've never had a prisoner this _hot."_ I so did not expect that from Dreamworks! But what are your thoughts? And tell me what's your favorite scene!**

 **Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

''G-gone… all gone… one by one…'' mumbled the Viking, seemingly lost in his own nightmare. ''And she-she's coming…''

''You recognize that sigil?'' Hiccup leaned against Astrid, eyeing the lightning crest printed on the man's buckle.

''That's Thunderhead Bay,'' replied Astrid, frowning in confusion. ''It's a small atoll west from here. Berkians were once at war with this tribe. They haven't seen a Thunderhead Bay Viking since the Valhalla Wars.''

''That was a long time ago,'' noted Hiccup, returning his gaze on the agonizing man.

''Yeah,'' agreed Astrid, her gaze turning serious. ''But some people have long memories.''

''SKULD!'' cried out the Viking, jumping in front of people like a bully trying to scare little kids.

A quiet ''oh no'' echoed somewhere in the back of the crowd but no one bothered to know his opinion.

''Please,'' said another Viking at the front of the crowd, looking bored. ''My mammy used to rock me to sleep with tall tales of curses and witches' spells.''

''Progressive parenting, Viking-style,'' commented Hiccup amusingly but Astrid quickly elbowed him.

''We should get out of here,'' whispered Astrid, eyeing the unamused Vikings staring down at the outsider. ''We don't want to get involved with this. Especially not with our troll situation at hand.''

Disapproving boos rang around and the crowd quickly tore itself apart, leaving the crazy Viking all alone.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look, trying to decide what to believe and what to ignore. But for precaution, the Dragon Riders headed back to the campsite, finding it too dangerous to stick around the Market with this so-called witch probably hanging around if they were to believe the story true.

Reaching the Trollhunters and their dragons, Hiccup kicked his prosthetic against Jim's foot, waking him for answers.

''What?'' groaned Jim, pulling himself in a sitting position and rubbing his tired eyes. ''Have you found the Heartstone?''

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look but the heir put his question aside for now and crossed his arms over his chest.

''Is there a chance you might have brought back a witch on your way here?'' asked Hiccup, suspicion clear in his tone.

But Hiccup only received a confused look as if he'd gone mad.

''Well, last time I checked, Morgana was trapped in the Shadow Realm after the staff was destroyed,'' replied Jim, getting a taste of his own medicine as the Riders stared down at him with no idea what language had escaped his mouth.

''Who's Morgana?'' asked Hiccup, cocking an eyebrow.

''She's the most powerful sorceress this Earth has ever known,'' answered Claire, pulling herself off the ground as well.

''So you _are_ connected to sorceresses?'' confirmed Hiccup, trying to connect spaced dots in his head.

''I guess so.'' Jim looked sideway to Claire before returning his gaze on the young Viking. '' _Probably_ aliens as well, based off Eli's crazy theories about Aja and Krel…''

''Alright.'' Hiccup pinched his nose bridge, shutting his eyes tight.

All of this didn't make the slightest of sense in his mind and so far he had picked up nothing useful.

''Look, do you know a sorceress under the name of 'Skuld'?''

Jim and Claire immediately shook their heads sideways, finally confirming to Hiccup this 'Skuld' might be no big deal.

''Okay, well,'' Hiccup turned halfway around, meeting Astrid's gaze and the shieldmaiden shook her head seriously. ''We've scouted the Markets but haven't found anything remotely close to you Heartstone.''

''Are you sure?'' asked Jim. ''You could've missed it. Merlin told us the crystal could be found all over the world as we speak.''

''Yeah, well, not _all_ over the world, apparently,'' disagreed Hiccup.

These guys had such high hopes to find their crystal. It wouldn't be easy to tell them the answer might not lie in his and Astrid's hands.

''The Markets are too dangerous right now anyway. From now on, no one is allowed to exit the woods until we leave this island, is that clear?''

Jim's ears folded back and he grumbled quietly, picking himself up to follow the Riders as they headed for the opposite side of the island for the rest of the day where they would make camp and leave when everyone had gotten enough rest for their next stop.

The group walked for a large part of the day to set on the other side of the island where the beach stretched short, completely uninhabited by any Viking or dragon. It would be perfect for the Riders and Hunters to get some rest before they decided what to do next. At least, Jim and Claire counted on the Riders to find a solution, never knowing about Hiccup's reflection regarding the glowing crystal.

''We'll set camp here for the night,'' announced Hiccup after parting a bush on the forest's edge to see if there were anyone. ''We shouldn't get bothered. Once night falls, the bar will be crowded. No reason for some Viking to come here.''

''Well that's good to know.'' Claire smiled Jim's way, noticing her boyfriend's thoughtful expression. ''Jim? Is everything okay?''

Jim nearly jumped when her soft hand brushed his bangs out of his face but quickly reassured her everything was fine with a weak smile.

''We'll gather some supplies tomorrow at the Markets and see what's next, but for now, let's just rest. We've all had a long day.'' Hiccup unclipped his saddlebag and pulled out two blankets and shoved one in the hybrid's direction.

Caught off guard, Jim received the warm cover in the side and watched it fall harmlessly on the dusty ground.

''You okay, Jim?'' asked Hiccup, cocking an eyebrow. ''I may not have known you for a long time but I do know it's not like you to just let me throw things at yah.''

''I'm fine, really,'' reassured Jim, but secretly, he was struggling with a tough decision inside.

When everyone had settled, the sun had long sunk down and the stars glittered against the deep blue background of the night sky. A big bright moon shone down on Jim's bluish skin through the canopy of leaves, the white dot reflecting in the half-troll's eyes as he gazed up, unable to get some rest.

Hiccup had forbidden them to go to the Markets because some Thunderhead Bay Viking had stirred up some trouble in the crowd about a sorceress named Skuld. That wasn't an unusual name for a witch and Jim wondered if there could actually be magic around here, even though he hadn't seen anything from his own eyes yet. Considering this was the same world as when he came from, there should be wizards, witches, and trolls as well living here today, somewhere. He just had to look in the right direction. And right now, all of his senses told him to go find this Skuld lady and get some answers considering the Heartstone. Who knew? Perhaps she even knew where to find one. And once he had a fragment in his hand, poof! He'd recite the chant written on his amulet as he had done many times in the past and he and Claire would be back on track on their journey, well and alive.

All he had to do was disobey Hiccup's direct order. The Rider wouldn't blame him for being curious now, would he? And if this was his only ticket home, then he'd better hurry before he missed his chance.

Jim eyed the Riders and Claire around him along with the dragons and threw the blanket off his armored figure.

Rising to his feet gently, the hybrid took off in the night, casting one last look over his shoulder before focusing his determined blue eyes on his goal. His armor noisy as he galloped through the dark woods, Jim let his instincts find the Markets as lit up as if the sun had never left.

When Jim broke through the cover of the trees, he came face to face with the backdoor of a wooden building and frowned curiously as loud voices echoed from inside. Gingerly, he crawled closer to have a look through the cracks but was quickly shoved to the ground when the door slammed wide and a couple of drunken Vikings nearly stumbled down the three short steps.

Hurrying to hide in the shadows, Jim watched as they passed unaware of his presence, his human heart pounding hard in his chest. His gaze trailed back to the entrance and the Trollhunter spotted a few brown leather capes hanging from the hooks.

Pleased with himself, he snitched one off the high rod and wrapped his form as best as he could manage, hoping it would hide his identity long enough to find this sorceress.

Torches lit up the dirt passageways bright, yet, most tents were bathed in blackness, suggesting the sellers had closed for the night. But some were still bright as day and Jim figured if Skuld where here, her hut would be lit up as bright as summer sunshine. If he knew witches well, he would know that they rarely slept. You could never sneak up on a sorceress. They had learned how to control the magic of this world and whether they used it for their own intentions or greater good was their decision.

As he walked down the first alley, Jim received weird looks from crossing Vikings, their thoughts unmasked as they laid eyes on his hideous face, his fangs featured first as he met gazes.

Trying to brush others' opinions aside to concentrate on the task, Jim lowered his head, passing by like a tall shadow on a lonely night.

Even though Claire saw more in him than a beast with horns and fangs, Jim still felt like a monster sometimes. Especially now. It was the first time since his transformation that he'd gotten strange looks from random people.

Back home, it had been kept between the trolls, Merlin, Claire, Toby, his mom, and Strickler. No one who was human without knowledge of what had happened had ever seen him like this yet. Sometimes he wondered what he was. Sometimes he wished he'd spent more time gazing at the sunset with his friends. But never did he regret his sacrifice to save the world and all of his loved ones' lives. Never would he look back and wonder what else could've been done. This was his fate. It was up to him to accept it or deny it. Because whatever decision he made, where he stood now, amongst Vikings and dragons from centuries ago, was proof of his willingness to follow his path.

Lost in thoughts, Jim shut his eyes and clutched to his amulet like a heart.

Not looking where he was going, he accidentally bumped into the figure of a woman and Jim quickly apologized, hurried to move before the lady's attention was all over him.

But he was too late.

''Wait.'' The woman's tone was authoritative and Jim froze mid-step, holding his hood over his horns shamefully. ''Turn around.''

Jim hesitated. He didn't want to be noticed but something about this lady made him face her anyway and the Hunter revealed his fangs and tall figure.

''Yes,'' said the woman, a grin stretching on her beautiful face.

As Jim studied her clothes, he noticed she wore a relatively uncovering dress with textures and colors he hadn't seen around here before. Could she be?

''I remember you.''

''Wait, you remember me?'' echoed Jim, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. ''You don't know anything about me.''

''Oh, darlin','' said the woman, speaking as if he were a child that had just found out the Tooth Fairy was just a story. ''I know everything about you. What you are… where you came from…''

Jim stared back at her, a bewildered look painted over his face. But before he could ask any other question, the sorceress grabbed his four-fingered bare hand and forced him to follow, leading her to her tent where they would discuss more on the subject.


	9. Chapter 9

Jim followed Skuld inside the tent, its interior decorated the way a witch would decorate her little tavern in the center of a creepy forest. But Jim pushed that feeling aside, wanting to know more of what this woman had in store for him.

A fire burnt low in the middle of the hut, its heavy smoke escaping in the hole above, cut out in the fabric. It gave the space a mysterious look and the Hunter only wished he could read the lady's mind for answers.

''One thing at the time, my dear,'' said Skuld as if she'd heard his thoughts.

She reached a hand in some furniture and pulled out a skull seeming to be of a dragon's and carefully placed it upon her head, letting her bright green eyes dazzle Jim with her braided ginger hair rest on her shoulders.

''It won't be long and you'll know everything you need to go back home, safe and sound like you wish.''

''I really do.'' Jim swallowed, locking eyes with Skuld and she smiled back at him. ''But, what's the price?''

Jim knew that witches didn't make deals without a little something to pay for their share of magic. Skuld might not be Morgana, but she was a sorceress nonetheless and he had to look out for traps.

''Oh… that depends,'' said Skuld, circling the fire to join Jim who still stood at the entrance. ''Are you ready for me to open your eyes?''

''I pretty sure I've seen everything,'' commented Jim, shrugging. ''But, hey, if there's more, shoot.''

Skuld approached him in a seductive way, settling an awkward feeling in Jim's guts for he already had his dear Claire. The woman traced her delicate hand on the Trollhunter's front armor until she reached his face and grabbed his chin gently, forcing him to look her way whether he was comfortable or not.

''Jim, it's time you understand something,'' said Skuld, digging into his pure blue eyes as if she was reaching for his soul and dragging it out. ''You can never count on anybody. And certainly not your new friends, from this or any other land. You're different. You're among the mighty.''

Jim pulled away, not liking where this was going. She wasn't about to let this witch get in his mind and make him believe Hiccup and Astrid were untrustworthy. The Dragon Riders had proved they were here to help. He wasn't going to believe anything else.

''No,'' said Jim, looking at the sorceress dead in the eye. ''I won't let you do this.''

''It's a simple truth that you'll have to face sooner or later, Jim,'' said Skuld, her words freezing the Hunter before he walked out. ''If you depend on others, you'll never find your place.''

Jim looked down at the lady as she walked closer. His blue eyes landed on her open palm and there rested a fragment of Heartstone, glowing brightly in her palm like a heart needing of a home.

Breath-taken, Jim reached for the crystal and stared at it wide-eyed as it lay right there in between his fingers. But after a moment of recovery, the Trollhunter met Skuld's eyes, suspicion clear in his blue irises.

''What's the price?'' demanded Jim dryly, but Skuld only backed away chuckling quietly.

''Oh, don't worry about that,'' reassured the sorceress, standing before the fire that made her shadow stretch over Jim's form. ''You've already paid.''

…

Swift movement close to him snapped Hiccup out of sleep. He blinked his eyes to the darkness, adjusting his vision just in time to see the figure of Jim galloping away, his noisy armor and large shape giving away his identity.

Frowning in confusion, Hiccup picked himself up from the ground and let his blanket fall to the ground quietly. He narrowed his eyes in the direction Jim had taken off and quickly remembered this had been the way they'd come from the Markets.

Wondering what business the Trollhunter had to take off in the middle of the night, Hiccup whispered for his dragon and the Night Fury growled quietly with tired eyes but joined his Rider's side nonetheless.

''What do you say we follow him, bud?'' said Hiccup, and Toothless immediately sniffed the air to track down the hybrid.

Narrowing his eyes, the dragon gestured of his head for his Rider to mount up and the duo set after the half-troll.

The moon had only moved slightly across the sky by the time Hiccup and Toothless reached the end of the woods. Hiccup remembered when the twins had fled to the Northern Markets to fix Macey. Or rather save Macey, if it were Tuffnut speaking. They had gone against Hiccup's accord, even after their leader had given them a direct order not to. The two had ended up in bigger trouble than Hiccup had imagined, but he never put it past them. He just hoped that whatever Jim had in mind, he wouldn't end up in the way of danger.

The Night Fury growled threateningly at some passing Vikings dressed in Dragon Hunter uniform but Hiccup patted his dragon on the top of his head, quieting him on the spot.

''Easy, bud,'' warned Hiccup, eyeing ahead. ''They're not who we're after.''

Toothless snorted and scanned the open for a sign of Jim. No luck.

''Well, looks like I'm gonna have to go out there,'' said Hiccup, dismounting from the saddle.

Toothless watched him leave the border of the woods and laid low, waiting for his Rider's return but still attentive for any danger that might come Hiccup's way. He didn't care how hostile this place was to dragons, he would leap in the open if his best friend was threatened in any sort of way.

The place was lit up bright with flames burning combustible at the end of poles. It was weird seeing the Markets so calm. But Hiccup guessed the majority of the sellers and some late guests were all having fun in the bar that rang loud in the peaceful night. Yet, some stations were still lit up. But that wasn't what interested Hiccup. His mission was to find Jim and see what he was up to. No one just took off without warning anybody of their whereabouts unless they had something to hide.

Walking down the dirt path, Hiccup came across some peaceful peasants and nodded firmly in respect. He checked every shadow and every moving life-form in hopes to find the half-troll.

That's when Hiccup spotted tall shape wrapped up in a leather cape being lured in a tent by a slim woman who wore quite revealing clothes for their culture.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiccup tried to approach the bright tent with shadows dancing on its curtain but something else had him distracted.

Coming from the docks, a single ship entered the waters and Berserker uniforms came down the platform connecting to the vessel.

Gasping, Hiccup looked left and right for somewhere to hide and dived behind a hut bathed in darkness. He watched with shocked eyes as Savage walked down the plank, ordering his men to secure the ship before they headed for the tavern.

''At least he's not on our trail,'' whispered Hiccup to himself, watching as the former Berserkers did as told. ''Who knew Savage would one day be Chief?''

He had to admit, he'd never pictured Savage in charge of something he owned. The man had always been a right-hand man. Never had Hiccup seen him play another role.

Hiccup shrank back as the men walked by, chattering loudly as they made their way to the crowded building. Savage walked a little further in the back, looking way more serious and displeased than his crew.

Hiccup took one step back with his prosthetic clicking against the ground and Hiccup could've sworn his heart skipped a beat when Savage suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and listened. The heir froze on the spot, his knees feeling weak under his weight while he held his breath, afraid one drop of sweat might give away his location to the ex-Outcast.

After what felt like hours, Savage carried on. But Hiccup ignored the way a smile slowly grew on the man's face as he passed right by.

Sighing as stable as manageable, Hiccup picked himself up and gingerly left his hiding place. Looking sideways for danger, he continued on with his mission and walked in direction of the glowing tent, only to be body-slammed out of the blue by a man that'd been too fast for the Rider to see coming.

Crashing hard on the dusty ground, Hiccup struggled against his attacker and aimed a good kick to stomach with his metal leg, hoping to get them off, but his leg flung at the empty.

''You think your tricks will work on me?'' hissed the voice and Hiccup sensed frustration built up in his chest, providing him the strength to punch the ex-Outcast in the jaw and throw him off, allowing the Rider to retrieve his footing.

He stared down at the man as he recovered, chuckles echoing in the night as the heir looked around to find himself surrounded by at least a dozen men.

''Well, if it isn't Savage!'' said Hiccup, all too cheerful for his situation.

But being left without a choice, Hiccup used his best defense. Sarcasm.

''Long time no see. What brings you all the way out here so far from your cell on Berserker Island?''

''You never learned to shut your mouth at the right time, did you, _Hiccup_?'' said Savage, spitting out his name like the taste of raw fish on his tongue.

''That's my problem,'' said Hiccup, grabbing Inferno from his thigh and lighting it up for its flames to dare anyone to combat him. ''I never learn.''

Savage chuckled and unsheathed his own sword, flipping it around, making a surprisingly threatening whistle.

''That's a shame,'' said Savage, holding the handle tightly as he stared down at the Rider with more confidence than Hiccup had ever felt. ''Because I have. I have studied your moves, your patterns. I've been following you since the day I escaped from Berserker Island. You thought the war was over? Not between us. You've either changed heart around or killed off your enemies. But I'm still here. And I'm gonna do what no one else could.''

''What, you're gonna kill me?'' guessed Hiccup, sounding more annoyed than frightened.

''That's part of the plan,'' confirmed Savage, never breaking eye-contact with his enemy. ''But first, I'm going to take Berk, something Alvin never accomplished doing. And then I'm gonna kill you.''

''You know, I feel like I should be scared, but coming from you, I'm amused.'' Hiccup left his ready-for-combat position to rest and embedded his sword in the ground. ''You know why? Because you're never gonna take Berk. And you're certainly not gonna kill me. You say you've learned? I say you've wasted your time. And I've wasted mine enough tonight. So let's just go our own way and—''

Before he could finish his sentence, Savage spun his blade and approached the Berkian with a displeased look on his face. Hiccup watched from the corner of his eye the other soldiers closing their circle on him and Hiccup didn't wait a minute longer to snatch Inferno from the ground and swing it to the ex-Berserkers. He clashed his sword against the regular iron blades, sending them out of the men's grip easily with the new modification of teeth on the ledges of his own weapon.

''Alright, fine,'' mumbled Hiccup to himself, waiting for the next one in line. ''Have it your way.''

Swinging his weapon at the soldiers, Hiccup managed to last as long as he could until he realized he hadn't fought Savage yet. After burning a couple and disarming some more, Hiccup twisted around to face his real enemy, only to receive a punch right in the jaw that sent the Rider to the ground.

Inferno crashed in the dirt and let its last flames run out. Massaging his jaw, Hiccup reached out a hand to his creation, only for it to be kicked out of his reach by one of the men. Twisting around to lay on his back, the heir looked up to see Savage towering over him with his iron sword in hand. Hiccup watched wide-eyed as he lifted it up and brought it down. The Rider shut his eyes and waited for the sharp edges to pierce his skin, only to crack them open to see said sword embedded in the ground right next to his head.

Blinking at his reflection on the smooth surface for a second, Hiccup was caught off guard as the ex-Outcast grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground.

''I appreciated you putting up a fight,'' whispered Savage close to the Rider's ear as he grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back painfully. ''I longed to put what I've learned in practice. Alas, the fun for you is over. Now it's my turn.''

* * *

 **OMG. Guys, I've started a new book series called Spirits and Thieves. It's a trilogy. I'm about to read the last one and I don't want to finish it so soon (crying) so I'm stretching it a little bit. If you love reading fantasy with magic and stuff, this is definitely a thumbs-up. I don't remember last time I've read books this good. Anyway, just throwing that out there. Look it up, the author is Morgan Rhodes. It's a recent series.**

 **Alright, so for "The Endless Night", for those who haven't read the comic book, also titled "The Endless Night" (I'm original, did yah all see that?), the character Skuld the Sorceress is actually an already existing character belonging to Dreamworks. Just saying it before someone lashes out at me about it. But this is pretty much all I had to say.**

 **What's up with you, guys? Still reading a lot of fanfiction even though the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is at its end? Think it's over for good or are ya'll optimists like me and search for proof that there might be another series? (I have gathered all the information possible regarding the end of Race to the Edge and I think besides the new baby-show "Rescue Riders" and I have some images of animation process of Hiccup wearing his Httyd 2 armor but with the Toothless design of the show. Mouahaha! I actually posted all about it on my Facebook Page Dragons - Race to the Edge if you wanna go check it out.)**

 **This is all I had to say for now, so, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, the best is yet to come.**

 **Rain, out!**


	10. Chapter 10

When Jim left the Skuld's tent, the moon had vanished from the sky, bathing the island in warm orange and black without the cold touch of white from the bright moonlight.

He walked his way back to the camp, staring down at the little piece of Heartstone lying in the palm of his five-fingered armored hand. It glowed lively, making the Hunter smile.

Their mission was accomplished. They'd gotten the crystal and now he and Claire could go home. There was nothing stopping them now. He just wanted to say goodbye to Hiccup and Astrid before they went back. The Dragon Riders had helped them find their way; the least they could do was thank them.

The dim light of dawn shone through the leaves, giving the forest a cold look as he slowly retraced his steps back to the others. All he would have to do was tell them where he'd been. Sure, he'd disobeyed Hiccup but in the end, that risk had been worth the cost. There was nothing standing in his way to reunite with his friends and family now. All he'd have to do was recite the amulet's carved words and voilà!

Arriving where he'd left the others, Jim parted a bush and made it into the small clearing, only to find Astrid and Claire with Stormfly wide awake, looking his way with concerned looks painted all over their faces. The Nadder had squawked at his arrival, warning the girls of Jim's near presence.

''Jim!'' called Claire, rushing to wrap her arms around his neck. ''Where did you go?''

''Uh, I…'' he trailed off, looking down at the stone in hand past his girlfriend.

He wanted to tell her he'd found the Heartstone and that they could finally go home, but Astrid's worried gaze met his and he immediately knew something was wrong.

''Jim, have you seen Hiccup?'' asked Astrid, coming to his side with the Deadly Nadder following close by.

The Trollhunter took a step back, looking around him, confused.

''He wasn't here when you woke up?'' asked Jim, sharing the warrior's worry.

''No, and neither was Toothless,'' replied Astrid, gesturing to where she last saw the Night Fury lie. ''I thought they'd gone out with you, but—''

A sudden roar broke through the forest and every head turned to see Toothless running their way, a metal object in between his jaws.

''Toothless!'' called Astrid, rushing to the dragon that spat out Hiccup's unsheathed sword.

Astrid gasped quietly and picked up the blade, examining what had happened to it to figure out what could've happened to Hiccup.

''Inferno…'' she whispered, holding it the way her betrothed would before pressing the button that made the blade retreat back in its little sheath that had many more utilities.

She narrowed her blue eyes dangerously ahead and placed the weapon to her belt before climbing onto Stormfly's saddle.

''Astrid, where—'' called Claire with both hands cupping her mouth, but her words were cut off as the dragon blasted her wings and took off in the air, leaving a wind of dust and leaves behind along with the Trollhunters.

Confused, Claire turned to Jim who stared down blankly at the small stone.

''Jim, what's going on?''

The hybrid closed his hand on the crystal and met her gaze.

''This is my fault…'' he whispered, lost in thoughts.

''What are you talking about?'' she asked, completely lost and afraid she might be missing something very important.

''It's my fault something might've happened to Hiccup,'' said Jim, louder this time. ''I took off in the night and he… he must have followed me there. And now he's gone! He's gone and it's my fault! That was the price to pay…''

He lifted his fingers around the Heartstone and Claire gasped, disbelieving her eyes at the sight. They could go if they wanted to. They could leave all of this behind and save themselves. The wound on Jim's cheek only grew grayer every day and it was only a matter of time before he started losing his strength and will. He couldn't let that happen. But he also couldn't leave Hiccup now when he was possibly in great danger. Whatever words that witch had tried to get in his head, he wouldn't believe for a second the life of a Trollhunter was more important than the one of a Dragon Rider.

They wouldn't be leaving. Not until Jim had cleaned up the mess he'd made.

...

Astrid soared above the Northern Markets in the blinding rising sun, trying to see if she could spot Hiccup and whoever out there that had dared lay hand on her betrothed.

Stormfly squawked in direction of every strange-looking Viking down there that might have been involved, but none looked familiar. And surely, whoever they were, they wouldn't stand in plain sight. They would try to flee...

Astrid quickly redirected Stormfly toward the ocean, scanning the water below to see if she could catch the imposters before they got away. And if she couldn't save Hiccup today, at least she would know who they were up against.

The Deadly Nadder rose higher in the sky to have a better view of their surroundings. But the sun was blocking Astrid's view and the bright line of sunlight reflected on the ocean's wavy surface made it impossible to see what was down there. But as she looked all around her, the shieldmaiden couldn't see a ship from here to the horizon line. Which meant only one thing.

''Come on, Stormfly!'' shouted Astrid, leaning against the saddle and diving down toward the sun as if it were something she had to catch in a hurry before it got away.

Her eyes were forced shut by the light but the Nadder kept going, thankful that hers were on the side of her head, making the dragon perfectly immune to what had Astrid useless.

It was only when she was in their range of fire that Astrid spotted the vessel painted black against the ball of fire. She held tight to the saddle as her Nadder darted away from the arrows and boulders, climbing higher in the clear blue sky to get a clear view of their situation. Even though bright spots danced in her vision, the warrior could see the thin form of Hiccup aboard the ship amongst other soldiers and… She recognized that helmet. No, it couldn't be!

Heart pumping fast, Astrid commanded her dragon the fire and Stormfly did as told, diving in the enemy's range to blast off some men. Yelps rang around and Astrid was pleased with herself even though it was a hard job when fighting an enemy ship without the support of the other Riders. It was in these moments that she'd appreciate Snotlout and the twins. She tried again a couple of times, but it seemed Savage had equipped himself with Dragon Hunter weaponry as well as classic catapults and arrows.

Stormfly shot another series of spines that landed close to some soldiers but didn't hit anyone. Unsatisfied, she doubled back and prepared to attack again when she saw the ex-Outcast hold a dagger at Hiccup's throat who could only hold his chin high to avoid his skin touching the cold metal while he was tied tight to the ship's single mast.

Astrid hesitated, holding back and glaring down at the man dangerously. But Savage only returned the look, pressing the blade closer to the heir. She saw Hiccup look up at her pleadingly, but not the kind that asked to be saved – more like the one that asked for her to go.

Struggling with what decision to make, she hovered hesitantly while the Berserker ship sailed off away from her, taking Hiccup with it.

...

Astrid returned to where she'd left Jim, Claire and Toothless, dismounting from her dragon out of breath.

''What happened?'' asked Claire, joining the Rider's side the instant her feet touched the ground.

''They got him,'' huffed Astrid, letting her hands rest on her knees.

''Who did?'' she tried, but Astrid turned from her, reaching into her saddlebags urgently.

''You wouldn't know.'' The shieldmaiden didn't mean to sound rude, but they had to move quickly.

On a sheet a paper, she noted down a message which she tied to a Terrible Terror's hind leg before sending the little dragon into the open sky.

''We need to get to Berk. Now.''

Astrid cast a look at Jim who stood back, feeling the expectations from the warrior weight on his shoulders. As much as he hated to risk it all, he wrapped himself with the leather cape that was large enough to cover him whole and pulled the hood over his horns, hoping this wasn't the biggest mistake of his life.

''Stormfly and I will fly above you to block as much light as possible,'' said Astrid, climbing on her Nadder once again. ''Claire, you ride with him on Toothless. The pedal should be an easy task for this straight arrow flight so you won't have to worry about that.''

Jim mounted up on the Night Fury's back, hesitant on what to do. After all, it's not like he rode dragons every other week back home. And when he'd flown, Hiccup was the one managing the flying. He had no clue what to do.

''Just relax,'' encouraged Astrid, showing how loosely she sat in her saddle, he hands grasping the handles before her naturally. ''It's like riding a yak minus the bucking part.''

''Is that supposed to be reassuring?'' asked Jim, taking hold of the metal handles and pressing his foot in the pedals, struggling with the left one since the pedal was actually designed for Hiccup's prosthetic.

But eventually, he found the trigger that sent the dragon's red tailfin wide open and he nodded nervously at the remaining Rider. She took off on her own mount and hovered above them as the Night Fury leaped into the sky of day. Claire held on tight to Jim as he grasped Toothless' mighty neck and looked down at the island; afraid he might make a wrong move and send them all crashing down to the ground, burning his skin in the process. The Deadly Nadder's flew close by and stayed in an angle that allowed the half-toll to bathe in the shade.

More comfortable like this, Jim straightened up and took hold of the handles, looking straight ahead at the thin line of the horizon headed to Berk - wherever that was.

* * *

 **Hello, just wanna let you guys know that I've considered by common mistake (badum tss!) of writing 'common' instead of 'come on'. I actually once read someone who wrote it that way and I was like, "Huh, I can write it like that too? Oh well." So, yeah. Since I rarely ever use the word 'common' in the correct way, I never saw my mistake. And now I think about all of the other stories I wrote with that mistake every time, gosh... But if you spot it some more or other really stupid mistakes, let me know. (But this story doesn't count 'cause I wrote it before getting the wakeup call from one of you, fellow readers. I don't really revise these chapters because I did once and I don't wanna do it twice (I'm that lazy). I did spot some weird stuff, like Toothless written "Toot anhless". I don't know what happened back there. Editing problem I'd guess. My computer messes words sometimes so apologies for that.**

 **But that's all for now, so I hope you're enjoying so far!**

 **Rain out!**


	11. Chapter 11

The sun was at its highest when the Trollhunters and Rider arrived at Berk. It was hard to stay at the right spot for the last couple minutes and once in a while, Stormfly would either drift too much right or too much left and Jim's hands would start glimmering electric blue. He'd yelp at the pain and retrieve them close to his chest, alerting Astrid that she had to readjust her shadow over the Night Fury soaring below.

It had been a rather fast flight, considering Berk wasn't all the way down south. Since they were fast approaching the island, Astrid leaned to the side to address the Trollhunters, indicating what to do next.

''You're gonna want to tilt the pedal backward in order to slightly close the tail,'' called Astrid, cupping her mouth with her free hand.

Jim and Claire looked up at her as she spoke and the hybrid lowered his eyes on the metal pedal underneath his left foot, still confused about the mechanism of this whole thing.

Carefully, he pressed the metal boot of his armor against the sleek surface of the pedal but instead of _slightly_ closing it as Astrid had indicated, he sent the pedal completely backward, resulting in them diving full speed with their terrified shouts ringing in the air.

Astrid hovered, rolling her eyes in discouragement before heading after them, her Nadder's nasal horn cutting through the air.

She reached the Night Fury's side and offered a hand to grab on to in an attempt to avoid the riders to crash with the Night Fury. Getting a firm hold of Claire's arm, she shoved her behind her on the saddle and then reached for Jim, but Astrid hadn't noticed how close they were getting to the plaza before ordering a last-second command to her dragon, giving them a chance to circle back and avoid a painful crash-landing.

As for Jim, he held on tight with his cape flapping in the wind, allowing some sunlight to kiss his skin and burn it mercilessly. Grunting in pain, Jim shut his eyes tight and stared down to see the ground approaching fast. Toothless beat his wings in an attempt to slow down, but the effort was useless for it only sent the duo spinning until they met the hard stone ground in the middle of the village.

Luckily for the Hunter, he'd managed to jump off the saddle just before Toothless crash-landed and ran for the shadow of one of the many wooden houses, trying to brush off the sunburns off his stony blue skin marked dark with scorches. Jim hadn't come to care on the spot, but a huge crowd had gathered around him curiously, their caution making them keep their distances with whatever this creature was that had dropped from the sky riding the Night Fury.

''What in Thor's name is going on here?'' boomed a deep voice and Jim lifted up his eyes to see the crowd of Viking part, allowing the Chief of the tribe to pass.

The large man looked down at the hybrid, frowning in confusion and in anger for some reason. Jim parted his jaws to explain, but before he could say a word, Astrid dropped down on Stormfly and jumped off her dragon before the Nadder had even landed with Claire following close by.

''Stop!'' called Astrid, placing herself in between Jim and the Berkians.

''Don't hurt him,'' said Claire to the people who had pulled out their weapons. ''He's just scared.''

She turned to face Jim who straightened up and looked down at her, a weak smile appearing on his lips.

''Are you hurt?''

''I'm fine,'' he said, taking her hand in his sweetly.

''Alright, everyone get back to your duties!'' ordered Stoick, gesturing to the Vikings to go. ''I'll handle this.''

When everyone had gone, the Chief turned around to face his future daughter-in-law and placed his hands on his hips.

''Astrid, what is going on?''

Astrid turned halfway around to meet the Trollhunters' gazes and returned to her leader.

''Stoick, we need to talk,'' she said and the man's eyes immediately searched his surroundings, noticing someone missing.

''Where's Hiccup?'' he asked, a tone of worry in his voice.

''Savage has him,'' she replied, her features turning dead serious, remembering how the ex-Outcast had held his dagger at her betrothed's throat.

The other Dragon Riders joined the group, curious of what was going on with their dragons following closely behind.

''Savage?'' echoed Fishlegs from behind Stoick, whimpering while playing with his hands nervously.

''We were at the Northern Markets when he got captured,'' explained Astrid, though she had been sleeping during those events.

She sort of hated herself to not have been wide awake and ready to battle for Hiccup.

''They were headed south. We need to act now. Savage's more unpredictable and ruthless than ever. He's armed with all types of weaponry, as much as Outcast's as Dragon Hunter's.''

''Well, this surely doesn't sound good,'' commented Stoick, sighing at their situation. ''What were you doing at the Northern Markets? You know it's a dangerous island to be.''

''We knew that, Stoick,'' said Astrid, feeling treated like a child who had made a mistake. ''In fact, we were about to leave when it happened. Some Thunderhead Bay Viking started warning everybody about this… what was her name? Skuld, I think it was. Skuld the Sorceress.''

''Oh no…'' said Fishlegs, his face taking a pale shade.

Stoick turned around to face the boy, cocking an eyebrow for more explanation.

''That mean anything to you, Fishlegs?'' asked Astrid, longing for answers.

''Skuld, aka the sorceress,'' said Fishlegs, all attention on him. ''According to legend, she led a coven of warriors witches and cursed whole villages. They say where she goes, the Endless Night follows.''

''Stuff and nonsense,'' Stoick rolled his eyes. ''For Thor's sake! Look, the sun is bright in the sky like it's always been. It's the same every day. No one has the power to change that. _No one._ ''

''Um, Chief..?'' called Snotlout's distractedly, looking up at a high peak on the island next to the tall mountain of the Great Hall.

''Stoick the Vast!'' called a feminine voice from above and all heads turned to see a slim shape standing on top of the hill, the woman's figure dark since she stood in the light of the sun. ''For every one of my sisters, hounded and persecuted by you sons of Odin… one of yours shall be taken. So swears… Skuld the Sorceress!''

Gasps rang around the village and everyone froze to watch the lady wearing the skull of a dragon upon her head, terrified by her words and sudden appearance. But Stoick the Vast didn't let himself be frightened that easily. He took a step forward, his chin held high and eyes blazing as he stared up at the witch.

''And yet, I see no accursed darkness, woman,'' shouted Stoick, displeasing Skuld. ''No unending night. As my son might say… Bring it on!''

But the man's challenge only made Skuld chuckle amusingly.

''As you wish,'' she said before widening her arms and closing her eyes. ''I call upon the chill hand of Morpheus to draw the veil of eternal eventide… And bring on the Endless Night!''

Behind Skuld, the sky slowly started changing colors, those resembling the evening. The Dragon Riders watched as the horizon bathed in warmer colors as if the sun was setting and looked up above their heads to see a black circle starting to position itself in front of the sun.

''Look!'' said Astrid, gesturing to their source of light slowly fading away. ''The sun!''

''Um, was baiting the witch-lady such a smart move?'' whimpered Fishlegs, hugging Meatlug fearfully.

''Whoa!'' said Tuffnut in awe. ''That is freaky, scary and utterly awesome all at the same time.''

''How's she doing that?'' wondered Ruffnut, almost sounding jealous.

''I have absolutely no idea,'' said Tuffnut, letting his shoulders drop.

''What do we do?''

''We can't fight something like this!''

''No one can save us now!''

Astrid narrowed her eyes to the sky and rushed to her dragon, hopping on the saddle.

Hearing the people's terrified screams, she refused to let some witch bathe Berk into darkness. She glared up at where Skuld once stood, but the woman had gone, leaving behind her doing of cursing her homeland.

And she thought no one would say a word about this?

''Dragon Riders!'' called the shieldmaiden, earning all of the teens' attention. ''Saddle up. We're gonna take that witch down.''

''Uh, how?'' asked Tuffnut, but still mounting up on his share of the dragon.

''Yeah? The woman just literally blocked the sun,'' pointed out Ruffnut, gesturing to the black disc settling itself above their heads. ''Sure, it's weird, deal with it.''

''No, that's not weird,'' came Claire, gazing up at the colorful background.

The Riders turned to her, still unaware who these newcomers were. But the hybrid standing behind her had them guess they knew about weird stuff.

''This is not magic.''

''How is this not magic?'' asked Snotlout, panic making him unbearable. ''Did you see what she just did there?''

''Yes,'' said Claire, meeting Snotlout's eyes, making him suddenly dreamy. ''But we've seen what a curse looks like. This is a rare but natural occurrence. It's a solar eclipse.''

''A what now?''

''They occur when an observer passes through the shadow cast by the Moon which fully or partially blocks the Sun,'' explained Claire, recalling her classes in school. ''This can only happen when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are nearly aligned on a straight line in three dimensions during a new moon when the Moon is close to the ecliptic plane.''

''Uh?'' The twins stared at her wide-eyed, jaws dropped.

''English, please?'' Snotlout rested his chin on his Monstrous Nightmare's head, looking as bored as if it had been Fishlegs talking.

Claire rolled her eyes.

''The moon is blocking the sun,'' she said flatly, placing her hands on her hips.

''So the witch-lady is not magic?'' asked Fishlegs sheepishly.

''Well, she still has the sorceress title for a reason,'' said Claire. ''There could still be more to it than meets the eye.''

''So what? Skuld just shows up here, makes us believe the eclipse is her magic and leaves us with that?'' asked Astrid, trying to figure this whole thing out. ''What's her purpose? She can't possibly just do this for show, right?''

Astrid searched the Trollhunters' eyes.

And then Jim's blue eyes flashed wide, thinking of her words.

''But what if she was?'' he asked himself quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear.

''What do you mean, Jim?'' asked Claire, turning around to face him.

''What if all of this was in fact just a distraction?'' said Jim, trying to place the events on a timeline.

He replayed the night he had been tempted by Skuld, letting her talk and waste time before giving him the stone – his only reason to be here. Hiccup had clearly followed him that night with Toothless, allowing the Rider to catch up to him quickly. That would mean they'd been both out in the open in the Markets at the same time. And while he let himself be dazzled by the crystal, he'd been blinded by what had been happening outside. This would mean…

''What if Skuld worked with Savage?''

''Then I'd say you're crazy,'' replied Snotlout, earning a scowl from Jim. ''What? There's no way that lunatic could've found himself a hot date like this sorceress—''

As if to disagree, the blow of a horn alerted the island of incoming ships and the Dragon Riders rushed in the middle of the plaza to land eyes on an entire fleet of Berserker, Outcast and Dragon Hunter ships entering Berk's waters with Savage at the lead.

* * *

 **Boom, boom, shake the room, say whhhhaaaaaaattt? Snotlout's turned off by smart girls, hehe.**

 **See you later!**

 **Rain out!**


	12. Chapter 12

''C'mon, Stormfly!'' Astrid kicked her Nadder's sides and they were up in the air in an instant.

The other Riders joined her in the air and they plunged down to the vessels approaching the island rapidly. Astrid had spotted the ex-Outcast's form far away and she had his smug smile printed in her mind. Growling angrily, the warrior grasped her handles tightly as they neared, shooting a series of tail spines down on the deck.

As she doubled back, she saw the man take hold of the heir who had his hands tied before him and shove him to his feet. She watched wide-eyed as he placed the same dagger to Hiccup's throat, standing behind the Rider with a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place.

''Not another move! Or I'll slice that peg-leg's throat where he stands!'' he shouted up at the girl and Astrid made Stormfly hover.

She hated being powerless, but the man gave her no choice and all she could do was glare down at him before redirecting her dragon to the island with the other Riders following.

Stoick joined the gang who landed in the plaza and looked down at the fleet that had long crossed the two statues. The man hummed thoughtfully and ordered his warriors to prepare for battle.

After all, no one with that many ships came just to chat. And if Savage held Hiccup captive, then they would have to fight to get their heir back. Men and women ran around, preparing for combat as they grabbed their weapons from their home, the armory or the forge. Shouts rang around the island, calling orders to get the pregnant women, children, and elders to the Great Hall for war had knocked at their doors.

''Astrid!'' called Stoick to the shieldmaiden and she straightened up, ready for orders. ''You lead the defenses. You're one of Berk's guards after all. You try to push them off and get Hiccup out of there if you get the chance.''

''Of course, Chief,'' replied the warrior, mounting up on her dragon once again before taking to the air and landing on the top of the gates allowing access to the village.

She scanned the ships, wondering how in the world she'd manage to save Hiccup from dragonback.

Vikings stood their grounds, ready for the enemy to reach their shores and yell their battle cry with their sharp weapons in hand and dragons of different species standing on top of the houses, growling low at the undesired visitors.

While the Berkians prepared for battle, the moon had reached its position in front of the sun and no longer did sunshine reach the island, bathing Berk in darkness as if it were nighttime. But instead of having the moonshine to light their path, an intimidating red glow shone down on them, reminding the Trollhunters of the Eternal Night Morgana had summoned back in Arcadia.

Reaching out a hand, Jim tested whether it was safe to walk out there and sighed when his blue skin remained intact. Growling low, the hybrid ran out of his hiding place and joined the activity while Claire stood behind.

Jim rushed to where Astrid had gone and hopped from house to house until he landed on a pole that held the barrier altogether. The Trollhunter grasped the wood where he stood like a gargoyle, overlooking the enemy fleet that sailed their way. He tasted the air, drawing different scents that didn't picture anything in his mind. He narrowed his eyes on the lead vessel and spotted Savage holding a blade to the Rider's throat. It was the same man that had nearly killed him and Hiccup on that cliffside and he would not allow him to get away with that as easily as the ex-Outcast would think.

Baring his teeth, the Hunter summoned his Dagger Glaives from thin air and held one in each hand. Focused on the situation below, he waited for the perfect moment to strike.

The people of Berk stood armed and opened the gate, some at the front and others far at the back to protect the innocents. Everyone waited for the signal as the enemy closed on them, the Dragon Riders perched on the barrier, ready to dive down there and blast the ships to splinters.

When everything stood still, Savage called to the Chief.

''Stoick the Vast!'' he shouted, his voice ringing the space separating the two leaders.

If there were none, Savage would already be long dead by now.

''I have come with a proposal!''

Astrid glared down at the man as he shoved her betrothed forward roughly.

''I will let your heir go unharmed if you agree to surrender to me!'' he called, a sickening smile stretched on his face.

Years of being treated like a rotten piece of cod had worn on the man. Everyone could see what had driven the man to madness. Savage had always been a right-hand man, never a leader. He'd always been second-pick. It was clear what he wanted. After behind forced to betray the Outcast tribe to survive and join the Berserkers, he had carried on with his hatred for Hiccup. Savage had had only one goal during his serving to the Outcast leader: take Berk and burn it to the ground. But Alvin the Treacherous had failed and had become an ally to the Hooligan tribe. Now with the Berserkers, Savage had been imprisoned for years, but once he got out, he pursued the boy and his group of Riders, loving the taste of revenge. But that never happened. Dagur had changed too. He'd become a disgrace to villainy. But Savage wouldn't change. He would succeed what Alvin and Dagur had failed to do during all those years: to take Berk and kill its heir. And by taking Stoick, the people would be left leaderless and the rest of them would be easy to get rid of. Set fire to the town and Berk turns to ashes. Oh, yes, and then kill Hiccup. So no, in the end, Hiccup would not be left unharmed.

''Make it quick, Stoick!'' said Savage, pressing the blade to the heir's throat just enough to draw blood.

While everyone stood still, afraid to make a move that might worsen things, a whistle cut through the silence and a swift blade hit the ex-Outcast's metal helmet, knocking the man backward and making him lose his balance.

Quiet laughter rose from the crew but Savage growled dangerously back at them, only to be stricken again behind the head.

Astrid stared down at the scene and turned her head to see Jim standing perfectly balanced on a pole, his eyes focused on the ruthless leader below with a small grin on his face.

Hiccup didn't move a bit and cast a curious look over his shoulder to see the man trying to find his footing after being stunned by a flying object twice. Seeing the ex-Outcast stumbling his way angrily with the dagger at hand, Hiccup moved out of the way and placed his metal leg under the man, sending Savage to the ground with a loud thud. Amused, Hiccup allowed a smile on his lips even though his hands were still bound before him.

''Well, that was relatively easy,'' remarked Hiccup, looking down at the man who seemed about to pass away as he lay grunting on the wooden deck.

Astrid turned to the other Dragon Riders around them and grasped her saddle.

''He's distracted!'' she called, her bangs waving in the ocean breeze. ''This is our chance!''

Dragons came down from the sky and blasted the ships while Berkian soldiers ran down the platforms to the beach and docks, yelling their battle cries with swords, maces, and axes raised above their heads.

Astrid directed her dragon to the lead vessel, hoping to get her beloved out of there before Savage returned to his senses. Soldiers crowded the deck but didn't leap to interfere with the inner battle between Savage and Hiccup. No one laid hand on the boy even if he was to escape or their leader would have their throats for 'stealing his victory'.

''Hiccup!'' she called to her leader and Hiccup looked up at her, glad she was here so quick.

She was needless of words as Hiccup rushed to her, reaching for her stretched-out hand to grab, only to be knocked violently against the edge of the ship by Savage, forcing a yelp to escape the bound Rider's mouth.

Hiccup fought against his attacker, using his elbows to strike the man's face. Savage growled and took hold of the rope keeping his hands together, leaving the boy defenseless. But the heir refused to go out so easily. Lifting his prosthetic, he slammed it hard on the man's foot, throwing the ex-Outcast backward and off him.

''I thought you said you said you knew all of my moves!'' taunted Hiccup, before lifting up his upper arms to be grabbed by Stormfly's talons and lifted in the air.

But Savage wouldn't let him get away like this.

Leaping to his feet, he ran for the edge of the ship and hopped off, managing to grab the end of the boy's metal leg.

Hiccup looked down in surprise at the new weight pulling them down and grunted in annoyance, trying to force him to let go with his boot. With a few kicks to the face, Savage dropped on the beach the ships had managed to reach.

Men who had reached the shore rushed to his rescue, but Savage pushed them off angrily. He glared up at the sky-blue Nadder flying away with his prey and growled dangerously before setting out after them, leading his party to combat.

Stormfly squawked as she neared the ground of the plaza and carefully set the Rider down before dropping herself. Astrid hopped down on the spot and wrapped her arms around Hiccup, trapping him in a tight hug.

''I'm sorry I couldn't get you out of there before that,'' apologized Astrid, shutting her eyes tight as she replayed the scene when Hiccup had pleaded her to go back at the Northern Markets.

''Astrid,'' said Hiccup, pulling apart to meet her blue eyes. ''I'm safe now. Thanks to you. You could never fail me.''

Despite how many times they had saved themselves from near-death situations, Astrid always feared she might mess up the next time and the time after that.

Battle cries from warriors dragged the couple's eyes off each other and brought their attention to enemy soldiers that had broken into the village, clashing their weapons against the Berkians.

Hiccup turned to Astrid, placing a hand on her shoulder as Toothless galloped their way.

''You stay here and help defend the innocents,'' ordered Hiccup before mounting up on his Night Fury.

''But, Hiccup—''

''Please, Astrid,'' said Hiccup, looking down at his beloved with pleading eyes. ''I need you here. Berk needs its best defenders.''

After a moment of hesitation, Astrid nodded fearsomely and reached for Inferno she had held on to until Hiccup was free of Savage's dirty hands and offered it to her leader. Hiccup looked down at the object, smiling in appreciation to have kept it safe and grabbed his handles, taking to the sky with large black wings beating against the reddish background.

Jim had joined the ground combat and Daylight accompanied him loyally, meeting opponent swords fearlessly, its blue fire following the sleek blade everywhere it swung.

Soldiers kept coming all the time and he would take them down nearly effortlessly until he was overwhelmed by the enemy and left with no space to move. These Vikings were nearly as big and powerful as the Gumm-Gumm trolls and weren't always as easy to knock out as an average sized person. These guys were tough and Jim didn't know how long he could keep up like this. Blades swung and Jim avoided them as much as possible, knowing he could bleed from a cut.

Moving his sword from left to right at the three differently dressed soldier, Jim struggled to keep up and stumbled backward. But when he thought he would feel a sword slice his skin, he heard loud thuds and Jim opened his eyes to see Claire standing in the middle of the unconscious men, a proud look in her eyes as she walked up to Jim.

''Whoa, where'd you learn that move?'' asked Jim, amazed by his girlfriend's new skills.

''Astrid taught me.'' Claire reached a hand to her hip, shifting her weight on one leg. ''You know, it pays off when you get along with people.''

Jim chuckled amusingly and willed his shield as a Berserker charged at them, knocking him out cold as he rammed his head against the shiny surface.

Grabbing Claire by her waist, Jim carried her to the Great Hall and dropped her amongst the innocents.

''You stay here,'' ordered Jim before turning around to leap back into battle.

''Hey, not fair!'' she called after him, balling her hands into fists in frustration.

Walking out through the gap between the two great gates, Claire scanned the raging battle and spotted the sorceress who had so well managed to make the people believe the eclipse was her doing.

Narrowing her eyes, Claire watched as the woman used a staff she didn't have in hand previously and chanted words that rang to her ears.

Even though Skuld hadn't summoned the sun to go out, she still had witch knowledge of spells and chants. But so did she.


	13. Chapter 13

Astrid swung her double-headed battle-ax aggressively at the incoming soldiers and whether it was her dangerous swings or her battle cries, men drew back constantly, coming and going. At least they had a good reason to. You didn't want to stand in Fearless Astrid Hofferson's way when she was angry and had her trusty ax in hand.

But even though she didn't have a scratch, Astrid felt like she was losing. She hadn't done close ground combat in a long time. Not since the war with the Dragon Hunters and she longed to hop on Stormfly and blast them off from the air. But Hiccup had asked her to help defend the innocents hiding out in the Great Hall and she refused to disappoint her future Chief so early.

More Berserkers and Outcasts came her way and the shieldmaiden was ready to kick their butts when a series of sharp silver spines dropped from above in front of the men, distracting them. Stormfly took the opportunity and blasted them off with her magnesium flames.

Astrid looked up to the sky to see a Razorwhip hover above her head and she couldn't help but smile in delight.

''How's it hanging?'' asked Heather, leaning to the side to wave at her best friend.

''Heather! I'm glad you got my Terror Mail,'' said Astrid before knocking the enemy's sword out of their grip. ''Things got a little weird.''

''I can see that,'' said Heather, dropping to the ground and taking hold of her own crafted double ax.

But before she could scare a single soldier, the men quickly backed away and ran off scared. Confused, the girls turned around to see Skuld had joined in the fight with a strange staff in hand.

With a battle cry, Astrid charged at the woman with her ax over her shoulder but was almost instantly knocked to the ground by an invisible force coming from the sorceress.

Heather stood her ground, her green eyes glaring at the lady with Windshear standing by her side, her sharp roars warning the woman to make a move. But Skuld only smiled wickedly in pity at the little Berserker's effort to stand against her and knocked her off her feet just as well with a delicate move of her staff.

Refusing to go out that easily, the shieldmaiden picked herself off the ground and body-slammed the witch, only to be grabbed by the throat and violently shoved down once again. Baring her teeth in frustration, Astrid kicked the woman in the guts and shoved her off. Skuld moved loose locks out of her face and faced the two downed warriors grunting in pain but still lifting up their chins off the ground to meet her eyes. They might be strong and powerful, but Skuld knew chants they didn't and began saying nonsense with her eyes rolling back.

''What's happening?'' asked Heather, watching in horror as the woman began lifting up in the air, her ginger hair floating like she was submerged in water.

''She's a witch, I'm not sure,'' replied Astrid. ''But what I do know is nothing good can come from that woman.''

Skuld was gaining power as she carried on with her chant and there seemed like no other force could compete against her, but the two warriors were quickly proved wrong when the sorceress was interrupted. A more powerful chant took over and Claire walked down the stairs leading to the Great Hall to stop Skuld's process of destruction. The young girl walked up with her eyes turning black, a touch of purple in the center.

''Azazazuth-Kinekh-Thoon!'' chanted Claire, a hand reached out at the staff like she was ordering it to come to her.

Skuld was dragged out of her concentration and stared at the girl with masked fear in her eyes. She didn't understand. No one could be more powerful than her! She was Skuld the Sorceress! The only one!

''Azazazuth-Kinekh-Thoon!'' repeated Claire, balling her other fist.

The staff flew out of Skuld's hands and into Claire's, making the bad sorceress now defenseless against all three girls. Claire hadn't known whether it would've worked or not. She'd never had the chance to try her knowledge on another magical staff.

After all, they were Morgana's words that had settled in her mind and with it, she had been able to call her Shadow Staff. So either it was somehow its ancient form or the spell worked on every staff that contained power. Whatever the reason, the evil witch no longer had a weapon and she was standing before two very angry warriors armed with axes.

Heather picked herself off the ground and so did Astrid and with blades raised, they charged at the lady, sending her off running.

Focusing on the magical staff, Claire shut her eyes and chanted some more before lifting it off the ground and slamming it down hard with all her strength, sending a powerful wave all around her.

Soldiers who had come running at them after they'd chased Skuld away were knocked back as if they'd been met with a powerful tide, yet, sparing Astrid and Heather, leaving them unaffected by the blast.

Stillness settled around them and Heather cast a look at Claire, amazed by her powers. She then turned to Astrid, swinging her ax closed before gesturing at the new girl.

''Why was she up there all this time?'' asked Heather, out of breath.

Hiccup and Toothless soared above the fleet of different ships, wondering how in the world a man like Savage had managed to reunite so many men into taking Berk and destroying him. But when he thought about it, Hiccup agreed he was easy to hate to people who hunted dragons.

Barrel-rolling, the Night Fury fired a plasma blast at a catapult, sending it to bits as it exploded and its fire caught in the sail, sending the entire ship aflame.

Smiling in satisfaction, Hiccup shot for the docks were men poured off the ships and rushed to the battle going on in the village. Furrowing his eyebrows, the Dragon Rider aimed for the soldiers and blasted them off. While the others had their fun sending the other vessels bursting, Hiccup dropped on the wooden platforms and fired off some men, sending them plunging in the ocean with a yelp.

Patting his dragon's scaly head, Hiccup pulled on the handles and took off in the air once again, only for a sudden additional weight to drop on the Night Fury's back. Toothless roared sharply a tried twisting his head but quickly returned his focus on keeping his flight balance, leaving his rider with the task of finding out what was going on. Hiccup grunted his teeth and twisted around from the hip to see Savage back again.

''You again?!'' exclaimed Hiccup, watching wide-eyed as he pulled out his knife, swinging it to the Rider's head.

Hiccup ducked just in time, directing Toothless higher in the sky so that they were out of range for the arrows and boulders while he was dealing with this.

''You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you, Hiccup?'' said Savage, smiling maniacally as he grasped at the dragon's back spikes.

''You talk too much,'' said Hiccup before turning Toothless sharply, sending the ex-Outcast to the side only for the man to take a hold of his left pedal, threatening to break it and send them all three crashing down on the island below.

''Savage, you don't know what you're doing!'' shouted Hiccup, watching fearfully as the man tried to pull himself back up, grasping at the delicate mechanism controlling Toothless' prosthetic. ''You're gonna—''

Too late. An alarming _CRACK!_ rang to Hiccup's ears and he twisted around fearfully to see the red tailfin shut close.

Toothless roared sharply, trying to stay in the air by beating his wings madly but the effort was useless as they spun down, the trees of the forest below approaching fast.

''Toothless!'' yelled Hiccup, taking a tight hold of the handles as he shut his eyes and dug his head to his chest, shoulders tense as he waited for the impact.

Loud crashing announced their entry in the forest and the Night Fury hit one tree after the other until they hit the ground, disturbing the calmness of the peaceful woods. Crows fled to the open sky glowing dark red, their alarmed caws ringing around until they faded away completely and the quiet settled back in the dense forest of pines.

Hiccup lay on the mossy forest floor and blinked his eyes to the tall trees stretching high above him and moved a couple fingers, checking for broken bones. He did so with his three remaining limbs and massaged his neck. Grunting, he picked himself up and brushed off the sting from the few scratches on his skin. Toothless growled low where he lay and Hiccup rushed to his best friend's side, stumbling till he collapsed next to his head laying heavily on the ruffled forest floor.

''Toothless…'' he whispered, holding his dragon's head between his arms. ''Are you hurt?''

The Night Fury shoved his head against Hiccup's chest, saying he was just stunned from the crash. He just needed time to recover. The dragon cooed at his rider and Hiccup scratched his head gently.

''No, I'm alright, bud,'' said Hiccup to his dragon before gazing around. ''What I'm really worried about it where Savage went…''

As if to answer his statement, a man's shadow stretched over him as Savage stood on a boulder. He came down limping and Hiccup could tell the ex-Outcast was hurt.

''Haven't we been over this enough times, Savage?'' asked Hiccup as his enemy began slowly circling him.

''You haven't ever faced _me_ like this,'' reminded Savage, spitting the words out. ''It was always Alvin or Dagur. But they never got as far as I did.''

Suddenly, the man ran at him while unsheathing his sword and Hiccup grabbed Inferno, his own weapon's flames lighting up their surroundings bright as thunder crashed in the distance, breaking the still silence around them.

Their blades met and Savage glared down at the boy, his hatred for him reflected by the bright light of his sword's flames in his dark eyes.

''They never went for the kill when they had you all to themselves,'' growled Savage, as he pushed on his sword. ''They never thought that with you out of the way, the rest of the job would be like fishing in a barrel.''

Hiccup pushed back, feeling the heat of the fire on his skin.

''I have waited _so_ long for this moment,'' Savage punched the heir to the guts, sending the Rider backward while grasping his middle painfully. ''And now here you are. All alone…''

''He's not alone,'' came a familiar voice and Hiccup lifted his gaze to see Jim's form painted black against the red light of the sky that seemed to brighten up.

Summoning his sword of Daylight, Jim stood on the same boulder Savage had come down from and growled low at the man who moved away slowly from Hiccup with his blade held tightly between his trembling hands.

The Trollhunter jumped down from the tumble of rocks and walked toward the ex-Outcast threateningly.

''What _are_ you?'' asked Savage, his angry expression turning to fear as he studied the hybrid from head to toe.

But Jim only growled with his teeth bared before he leaped at the man like a beast, locking him under his weight while the ex-Outcast stared up at him with terrified eyes, his weapon knocked out of his reach. Jim narrowed his eyes and growled deeply, making Savage tremble like a leaf as he prayed to be spared. Jim shut his eyes and sniffed the man's helmet. Reopening his blue eyes wide and licking his lips, he devoured the metal object and hummed in satisfaction as his fangs crushed the iron like it were butter.

Savage looked up wide-eyed in terror before going limp, passing out from fright.

Jim sniffed the body for more metal to eat and growled when he didn't find anything as tasty.

''Uh, Jim?'' called Hiccup and the Hunter left the unconscious man and approached the Rider. ''What just happened?''

''What?'' asked Jim, widening his arms to gesture to his stomach. ''I haven't eaten a thing since I got here.''

Hiccup looked past the Hunter and at Savage's limp form, smiling in disbelieve.

''Well, we better tie him up,'' said Hiccup, looking forward to the man's next years in a cell.

They had seen what he was capable of. They couldn't afford to risk letting him escape again.

''We'll come back for him when all of this is over. Right now I'm worried what might be going own back in town.''

Jim nodded and helped him out securing the madman. In doing so, Hiccup's attention was dragged at a golden glowing crystal lying on the forest floor, half hidden by a dead leaf.

Checking on Jim who seemed busy tying a knot, Hiccup grabbed the fragment of stone and figured the Hunter must've dropped it when he'd jumped on Savage.

Quickly before Jim noticed, he put it away and finished with the man.

Toothless growled at his rider and shook himself, indicating he was ready to go. Hiccup joined his buddy's left side and crouched next to his damaged pedal, examining the mechanism that's been ruined by Savage.

''Well, we won't be able to take to the air,'' noted Hiccup, patting his dragon's head.

He mounted upon his saddle and grabbed the handles.

''Looks like we'll be traveling on the ground. C'mon, bud!''

Toothless roared and dashed forward, galloping through the forest with Jim hot on their heels. His armor's blue markings glowed under the darkness of the trees as he raced by Hiccup and Toothless' like souls that owned the night as they ran to battle that awaited their return.


	14. Chapter 14

The black disc in front of the sun slowly moved away, allowing more light to shine down on the island every passing minute. Nearly all of the soldiers had been either defeated or had retreated back to their ships, sailing away like cowards. The plaza felt deserted as the young warriors watched their enemies flee, other grownups shouting their victory at the fleeing fleet, weapons waving in the air.

Astrid, Heather, and Claire cheered, smiling in triumph at each other.

''Look!'' said Heather, pointing at the sun shining again.

''The eclipse,'' said Astrid, eyes wide as she welcomed the sun again, the warm light kissing her skin. ''It's ending.''

Claire followed their gazes but as happy the battle was over, she worried about Jim's location and hoped he was somewhere safe from the sunlight.

And in that instant of concern, Hiccup and Jim ran to them, calling their names.

''Astrid!'' called Hiccup, jumping off Toothless' saddle and wrapping his beloved in a warming hug. ''Are you okay?''

''Yes, we fought them off,'' replied Astrid, pulling her betrothed in a tender kiss, a gentle hand cupping his face while the other held on to her ax.

As for Jim and Claire, the Hunter grabbed his beloved's hand and smiled down at her. He watched the purple curtain leave her eyes and Jim looked down at the staff she had in hand.

''You found your weapon of choice, huh?'' said Jim, gesturing at the object.

Claire shrugged and pushed a lock out of her face.

''Well, a sorceress needs her instruments, doesn't she?''

Jim chuckled and hissed in pain as a ray of light penetrated through the clouds above and burnt his skin. Toothless quickly rushed to his side and spread a wing of the hybrid's head, shielding him from the light.

Claire dropped her weapon and joined his side, leaving the staff lying unsupervised on the ground. Jim grunted at the pain of his face as his Creeper Sun wound burned, the graying zone spreading even more.

Behind her, the staff lifted in the air and shot for its owner and everyone turned their heads to see Skuld approaching the group, weapon in hand.

Astrid groaned in annoyance, having thought they were done with that witch. Lifting up her ax, Astrid was about to run to her but Skuld knocked her a couple meters away.

''Astrid!'' shouted Hiccup, about to reach her side, only for Skuld to knock him off his feet as well before he ever reached her.

She did so with everyone until she was facing Jim who stood under Toothless' wing, powerless to defend himself properly with daylight shining down on Berk.

''Ah… fascinating,'' said Skuld, her beautiful face raised high as she towered before him. ''Who would've thought trolls had a weakness underneath that tough exterior of theirs?''

She started laughing insanely before returning to a straight face.

Everyone around groaned painfully as they lay on the ground, looking at the scene fearfully.

''I gave you the chance to live,'' continued Skuld as Jim looked up at her from his knees. ''But I see now that you were too bloody-minded to just go back where you came from!''

Hiccup frowned thoughtfully were he lay on his stomach and reached for his pocket where he'd put the Heartstone. He let the crystal lie in the palm of his hand as he studied it, trying to figure out the meaning of this. Jim had the stone this entire time, but he'd stayed and fought by their side like a true friend. Looking up at Jim who was down at his knees, hurt and exhausted and now facing an evil sorceress, Hiccup rose to his feet with a determined look in his eyes and approached Skuld from behind, taking hold of Inferno.

''But since you've decided to stay, I guess you don't miss home as much as I figured,'' said Skuld, a smile growing on her pale lips. ''So why don't I make sure you stay here, troll? Forever!''

Jim's eyes flashed wide as Skuld lifted her staff up in the air, but his attention darted past her as Hiccup approached discretely until he was near enough.

Clicking Inferno on, Hiccup swung his sword against the woman's staff above her shoulder, sending it on the ground behind her.

Turning around in surprise, Skuld glared at Hiccup who held her gaze, his weapon held before him fearlessly.

''You fool!'' shouted the witch, balling her fists angrily. ''You have no business fighting for this troll!''

''Actually, I do,'' said Hiccup, looking past the sorceress at Jim before returning his eyes on her. ''And by the way, he's _half_ -troll.''

Angry, Skuld summoned the staff and it nearly reached her hand before darting in another direction and meeting Claire's grasping hand, her eyes as black as night.

''You want to get to him,'' said Hiccup, returning the evil sorceress's attention on him while everyone around got to their feet and took hold of their weapons. ''You're gonna have to get through all of us.''

Windshear and Stormfly roared loudly, their wings spread threateningly at the witch while their riders held their axes tightly. Claire chanted spells more powerful than Skuld had ever heard while Hiccup stood in between her and Jim, the Night Fury growling dangerously with purple light glowing down his throat.

''You've been messing with the wrong Vikings,'' said Astrid from behind her, a deadly look in her eyes.

''We've dealt with bigger threats than a wannabe,'' added Claire, her hair floating as she lifted off the ground.

Skuld turned and twisted, her hands balled into fists as her plan went downfall, glaring angrily at every Rider and Hunter closing in on her.

''You won't get away with this!'' she shouted, but she was rapidly lifted off the ground as Stormfly grabbed her by the shoulders and carried her away toward the ocean.

The woman's terrified screams echoed to everybody's ears as they watched the witch be carried away.

''Well, that was unexpected…'' commented Heather, still unable to keep the smug grin from stretching across her face.

''Good girl, Stormfly!'' shouted Astrid to her dragon, cupping her mouth with a hand as her dragon squawked. ''Now drop!''

The sky-blue Deadly Nadder dived down to catch speed before swinging the terrified woman into the ocean from a good height, watching her amusingly as she hit the water's surface. The dragon flew back to her rider and bumped her head against Astrid, demanding for scratches as she congratulated her.

''Nice job, girl,'' she said, smiling at her Nadder.

The Riders and Hunters gathered together, watching as the moon moved away from the sun completely, allowing Berk to bathe in daylight once again. Berkians soldiers shouted their triumph while the elders and children walked out of the Great Hall, checking for danger nearby. But when they saw none, the kids ran down the stone stairs, laughing as they went admiring the warriors and watch the retreating ships.

''I don't believe we've properly met,'' said Heather, coming face to face with Claire and placing a hand over her heart. ''I'm Heather.''

''Claire,'' she said, blinking her eyes back to their original color.

''I'm a big fan of your powers,'' added Heather, gesturing down at the staff. ''Where'd you learn?''

''Well,'' Claire pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, chuckling as she reviewed her adventure in the Shadow Realm where Morgana had trapped her while she possessed her body. ''It's a funny story, actually…''

Astrid walked up to Hiccup, grabbing his hand into hers, making him turn to face her.

''Quite a scene you performed back there,'' said Astrid, digging in her betrothed's green eyes lovingly. ''It's hard to believe you two started things out on the wrong foot, huh?''

''Yeah, you could say that,'' agreed Hiccup, chuckling slightly.

He cast a look at the Trollhunter chatting with some kids that had gathered around him.

Hiccup sighed and lifted his hand to reveal the crystal to Astrid and the shieldmaiden stared at the glowing stone, dazzled by its beauty.

''Is that—''

''Yep,'' answered Hiccup, sighing. ''He dropped it earlier and I didn't know how to react.''

''Since when do you think he's had it?'' wondered Astrid as Hiccup put it away.

''I'm guessing since the Markets.'' Hiccup replayed the night he'd seen Jim run away to the Markets and followed him, his last glimpse being Jim entering Skuld's tent.

He looked over his shoulder at the half-troll, admiring how he'd decided to stick around to help with his rescue instead of saving himself.

''But he came back,'' he said, nearly whispering to himself.

Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder.

''Maybe you should go talk to him,'' she said, gesturing to the Trollhunter who was confined to the shadow of Toothless' wing.

Hiccup approached as a little girl came closer to Jim's face and pressed her little hand against his graying skin. Jim sighed slowly and closed his eyes, feeling the tenderness of the gentle hand on his wound. Seeing the heir approach the small group, the little girl retrieved her hand slowly and turned to Hiccup, eyes big.

''He's hurt,'' said the little girl and Jim met Hiccup's gaze.

The Rider smiled gently and crouched in front of the kids who gathered around him.

''Will you guys give me a minute with Troll-Jim?'' asked Hiccup and the little ones nodded before finding another combatant to admire.

Jim rose to his feet as Hiccup came closer, and the Rider reached to his back before revealing the Heartstone lying in his palm.

''I believe this belongs to you,'' said Hiccup, stretching his arm for Jim to take it.

Hesitant, Jim picked up the glowing stone, looking down at it with eyes shining.

''You might not want to leave without it,'' said Hiccup, gesturing at his skin turning to rough gray stone.

''No, I wouldn't,'' said Jim, breath-taken for a moment before meeting Hiccup's gaze. ''Thank you.''

Hiccup nodded respectfully as Astrid, Heather and Claire joined. The group shared a look that spoke for itself, waiting for someone brave enough to say the dreaded words.

''I guess this is goodbye,'' said Astrid, a sad tone to her voice.

Claire smiled at her and wrapped the young warrior in her arms. Heather joined the group hug and pulled Jim and Hiccup in too. The boys chuckled and closed their eyes, tightening their arms around each other before parting.

While the girls who had grown close exchanged a few more words, Hiccup turned to Jim.

''Jim, whether it was accidental or fate that brought us all together, I just want to let you know I'm glad you attacked me back on the Edge,'' said Hiccup, sharing a laugh with the Trollhunter before returning genuine. ''I mean it.''

''Well, you know,'' said Jim, looking down at his feet before raising his gaze again. ''Someone once told me that destiny is a gift.''

Hiccup smiled back at the Hunter before Claire joined Jim's side, ready to part.

''I'm gonna miss you guys,'' said Hiccup, waving goodbye as Jim and Claire grabbed each other's hand.

''So will we,'' said Jim, placing a hand over the heart his amulet so fearsomely protected.

Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather waved a hand while Toothless cooed low at the Trollhunters. Jim patted the dragon in thanks before closing his eyes and breathing.

''For the Glory of Merlin,'' he said, reopening his eyes on the people who had stood by their side during their journey.

Replaying the day of their arrival to this very moment, Jim couldn't come to admit he'd hated a moment of it. Even though he and Hiccup had started off the wrong foot, their friendship had developed and a powerful bond had born between them, one that no time or distance would ever break. They'd lived through near-death experiences that made them see how much they actually had in common. Hiccup and Astrid had been good to them. They were stronger, braver and somewhat wiser. They would return where they belonged, ready for anything or anyone on this new journey that awaited them back home.

Memorizing the amazing people who stood before him one last time, Jim let his eyelids slide shut.

''Daylight is mine to command.''

 _The End._

* * *

 **I sure hope you guys liked it and I apologize for the delay, I thought I had finished uploading this story hehe. My bad.**

 **Until next time!**


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